Protective Custody
by CharmingsDaughter
Summary: AU/OC Sammy is a young woman who suddenly finds out that she is the daughter of David Nolan and is being taken into protective custody with he and his family by FBI agents Sue Thomas and Jack Hudson and their team. Sammy's world is thrown into a complete spiral as she tries to cope with finding out she has a family she was unaware of. I only own my character not the rest. No Magic.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Everyone!**

 **So sorry I have been AWOL for so long. I really haven't felt like writing and felt like I had lost my mojo. I started reading a lot of fan fiction to try and get my mojo back and it finally came back! This story is a cross over between Sue Thomas FB Eye and Once Upon A Time. I grew up watching Sue Thomas (Go on youtube and check it out, it's really good), and the story seemed to fit perfectly between these two worlds! I hope you enjoy!**

 **Plot: AU/OC Sammy is a young woman who suddenly finds out that she is the daughter of David Nolan and is being taken into protective custody with he and his family by FBI agents Sue Thomas and Jack Hudson and their team. Sammy's world is thrown into a complete spiral as she tries to cope with finding out she has a family she was unaware of and being trapped in a house unable to escape her new reality. There is no curese and my OC will be older than Emma.**

 **For the purpose of my story here are the ages:**

 **David and Mary Margret: 36 and 35 and David had Sammy with another woman when he was 16 before he met Mary Margret**

 **Sammy: 20**

 **Chapter 1**

I heard a loud banging on the door of my apartment that was hard and fast. I had just gotten home from work and wasn't expecting company. I also had no idea why someone would be knocking on my door so angrily, especially at this time of day. I looked through the peep hole and saw a man in his 30's with dirty blond hair wearing a jean jacket and a flannel shirt with matching jeans and boots standing next to a man in a suit who was about the same age with jet black hair. I hadn't seen either of them in my life. When the one in the suite flashed an FBI badge in the peep hole, I knew I didn't have a choice in opening the door.

"Yes?"

"Are you Samantha Bird?" The dark-haired man asked

"Yes..."

"My name is Agent Jack Hudson, this is my partner, Agent Sue Thomas" he said pointing to a female I hadn't been able to see through the peep hole "And this is David Nolan, may we come in?"

"May I ask what this is about?" I said crossing her arms and copping an attitude. I had had a long day at work and didn't appreciate them trying to barge into my apartment before I even had time to put my things away.

"We would much rather explain in private if you don't mind" Agent Hudson said trying to take a step into the threshold.

"Have I done something wrong?" I said stepping in front of the agent to block his entry

"No Ms. Bird..."

"Than I don't have to let you in, thanks..." I went to shut the door on them when I heard the words that would change my life forever.

"Samantha I'm your Father!" I immediately froze. What was that man talking about? I knew who my parents were, and this blond-haired cowboy was not someone I had ever laid eyes on before in my life. For that matters I wasn't adopted, so anything that this man said and to be some sort of hoax or scam.

"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong Samantha Bird" I said attempting to finally close the door enough to latch but the FBI agent had already stuck is foot in the way to keep that from happening.

"Ms. Bird, I promise you, this is not a mistake. Please just, let us come in an explain" I heard the female agent say. Although, she seemed to have a differet accent. I quickly spun around and looked them all in the eye.

"Tell me one good reason why I should"

"Because your life is in danger" Agent Hudson said bluntly. I turned around and headed into my apartment and heard the trio follow suit. I went to the fridge and grabbed a pop and turned around to see the three of them sitting in my living room. The two men were on one couch while the woman sat on the love seat with a Dog sitting next to her.

"What's with the dog?" I said pointing to the golden retriever that was sitting on the floor next to her.

"He's my service Dog, I'm deaf" The blond woman explained. That would also explain why she had an accent.

"So... how do you...?"

"I read lips. As long as you face me, I'll know what you're saying. I also sign" She then demonstrated her sign language abilities.

"That's pretty cool" I actually had a lot of respect for her being an Agent and being deaf. I then sat down next to her on the love seat.

"Ms. Bird, we really need to explain what's going on as we don't have much time" Agent Hudson finally jumped in. "Mr. Nolan here is your biological father" I opened my mouth to start to argue but agent Hudson put up his hand to stop me "We can explain this to you as we go, however, the indisputable fact is that Mr. Nolan is indeed your father and because of that, you are in danger. There is a man named Robert Gold after him and his family and that means you too. For that reason, we are taking you into protective custody"

"Hold up! You can't just barge into my apartment, tell me some rando stranger is my dad and expect me to follow you out of here so you can take me to who knows where!"

"Samantha" The dirty blond cowboy said

"It's Sammy, so obviously you don't know me. My parents are Louise and Melvin Bird of Valparaiso Indiana. I'm not adopted, I wasn't some weird lab grown kid, and I'm sure as heck not your kid. Get out!"

"We can't do that Sammy" The blond woman said placing a calm hand on my arm.

"Sammy, the truth is, you were adopted. Part of the adoption agreement was that your parents would never tell you. Mr. Nolan and his girlfriend were very young at the time you were born and wanted you to be able to live a normal life and not always wonder about where you came from or who your real parents were. It was supposed to remain this way but when you did an ancestry DNA test, that all changed. Your name popped up as a match for Mr. Nolan here and that there was a 99% chance of you being his child. This has caused your name to pop up on a lot of searches by Mr. Gold and his associates"

"How do you know that?" I asked in shock. I was pretty sure at this point I looked as white as a ghost.

"Because we have been investigating Mr. Gold and his gang for months now. That's how we found out that he was after Mr. Nolan and how your name came on our radar. We have been trying to take him down without harming anyone else in the process. That's why we're here and that's why you need to come with us." Agent Hudson explained.

I just sat there. I didn't know what to say, what to do. How do you believe that the parents you grew up with lied to you for 20 years? Not only that, how are you supposed to work through this at a time when you're being told your life is in danger to the point where the FBI wants to take you into protective custody.

"Ms. Bird. I know that this is a lot for you to take in. Why don't you take a minute and start packing your things? We'll check in with you in a little bit" Sue suggests. I immediately accepted and made a b-line to my room. I had to call my parents and get to the bottom of this

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sue, I understand that we want to be sensitive but we don't have time for her to think this over!" Jack Hudson said getting frustrated with his partner

"Jack, she's scared, if we want her to cooperate with us, we have to compromise" Sue insisted

"I'm sorry to butt in but, I think I agree with Agent Thomas, I don't feel like we can really push her. We are turning her entire world upside down"

"I appreciate your input David and I know that your fatherly side is speaking but, for right now, we don't have the time to give her time to process, she can do that once we have you and your family safely hidden away. I'm going to go check on her now" and with that Jack was off the couch and headed to Sammy's room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sammy immediately went to her room and grabbed her phone and quick dialed her mother's number.

"Mom"

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong? you sound upset"

"Mom I only have a minute and I need you to be honest with me. Am I adopted?"

"Sammy..."

"Mom, I don't have time for you to explain, I just need a yes or no answers" there was a moment of silence on the other end which made Sammy nervous. She knew that one of the FBI agents could walk in at any moment and probably wouldn't like the fact that she called someone. Finally, the suspense was ended when she heard her mom begin to cry and get out a weak "Yes" 

"Mom"

"Sammy? Sammy who are you talking to?" Jack Hudson came into her room and immediately snatched the phone out of her hands.

"It's my mom! Give it back!" I began to fight Agent Hudson who quickly moved me toward my bed where I was forced into a sitting position.

"Mrs. Bird? My name is Agent Hudson and I wanted to inform you that your daughter will not be reachable for the time being" and with that he hung up and slipped my phone into his pocket.

"You can't do that! She's going to freak out!" I exclaimed finally being able to stand again.

"Sammy, I have already told you that there are people who are looking to hurt you and roping your family into things is only going to put them in danger so the less they know the better. Now let's go" He said grabbing onto my upper arm in a vice grip. It didn't hurt but I also knew that there was no way I was going to be able to get away from him.

"What about my things?" I protested

"We'll send another agent over to pack your bags and bring your things to you at the safe house. We've been here to long" Jack said walking out into the living room and motioning for Mr. Nolan and Agent Thomas to follow him.

Jack led me to the back of the small black car that was parked in the parking lot outside of my building and helped get me into the back seat while Sue guided David and her dog into the other passenger side door while she got in the shotgun seat. I immediately noticed that the window buttons were locked and that the child safety was on, so I couldn't open the door. I was starting to feel trapped and anxious but did my best to keep my inside from reflecting on my outside. I had planned to ride to wherever they were headed in silence, but bio dad had other plans.

"Sammy, I know that this is hard for you…"

"You think?"

"I promise that, had I been able to avoid this…"

"You know you could have avoided this by letting my parents know not to let me go on or you could have…oh, I don't know…TOLD ME I WAS YOUR KID!" and with that I crossed my arms and turned as far as I could into the door so that my back was to him. I really didn't care how he felt in that moment. All I know is that I was losing it and I had to stop before I really let this guy have it.

I appreciated that bio dad took the hint and let me ride the rest of the way to what ended up being the Federal building in silence. One we arrived the car pulled into an underground garage. Once we stopped by one of the entrances, Jack put the car in park and came around and got me out while Sue did the same with David. They led us up a few flights to an elevator that then took us up to their offices. They led us down a long corridor and into a room with multiple desks that all seemed to be placed around a central area with a projector.

"Everyone, this is Sammy Bird and David Nolan, they are under protective custody along with the rest of Mr. Nolan's family until further notice. Bobby and Miles should be back any minute with the rest of the family and then we will debrief. Until then, please help keep an eye on them and make them feel comfortable." Jack announced to the entire room. He then led me over to a couch next to the coffee maker. "Stay here with Mr. Nolan" He instructed. David then came and sat down next to me. I began to scan the room. Where the exits were, how many people were in the room, I had even counted the steps from the elevator to this office. I was not going to go down without a fight. I saw jack go over to a desk that was on the other side of the gathering space. I was about to get up and go to the rest room when bio dad decided that he was going to push his luck.

"I know that you hate me, and I don't blame you. However, I wanted to let you know, before they show up that you have another sister and a brother" and like he spoke a magic word, a teenage girl and an elementary school aged boy came running over followed by a woman with jet black hair and a pixie haircut. They were followed by two other agents who went to their desks over by Jack. I decided that this was as good a moment as any to make my exit.

Everyone was pre-occupied with what they were doing. Sue was talking with the girl who was running the projector and I'm assuming making sure she had all the information to share with everyone. Jack was talking with the two agents who had just brought in the rest of bio dad's family (Yes, I'm calling him bio dad because that's all he is to me, he doesn't get a name unless necessary), and the aforementioned family was having a little reunion to which I was not wanting to be invited to. I easily slipped past everyone to the door and made my way quickly down the elevator and down into the parking garage where we had originally arrived. I then followed the signs for the exit and made my way out onto the sidewalk before flagging down a cab. Thankfully I was smart enough to grab the little bit of cash out of my purse and put it into my pocket. I would have used uber except that agent Hudson had confiscated my phone after he dragged me out of my room. Being that I didn't have a lot of cash I didn't get very far but it did help me to get a head start. All I needed now was to get my hands on a few extra bucks and get back to my apartment so that I could get my wallet and get out of town asap. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After David greeted his family he went to introduce them to Sammy but realized that she had left the couch. He quickly scanned the office area where they were to see if he could find her, but she was nowhere to be seen. He immediately got up and went to leave the office when Jack saw him.

"Mr. Nolan, I'm sorry but you can't leave this office"

"Where is Sammy?"

"What do you mean?" Jack said starting to feel his blood pressure start to rise

"I mean, where is my daughter?!" David said getting angry. He knew that, to her, he was nothing but to him, she was everything.

"We'll find her. Bobby, Miles, get out there and track this girl down. She couldn't have gotten far" He then walked over to David. "Mr. Nolan, I promise you, we will find your daughter and bring her back here safely. I'm gonna have Sue and Lucy take you and your family down to the cafeteria and get you something to eat. When you get back, we'll go over all the information with you and your family and then hopefully your daughter will be back in our custody" David just nodded and went back over to his family to explain. He knew that if he tried to talk to Jack right now, it wouldn't be what he meant.

He then allowed his family to be escorted by the two ladies down to the cafeteria but constantly scanned the hallways for any sign of his daughter

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Thankfully the cab was able to get me within a few miles of my house. I did my best to move fast but not draw attention to myself. I was really hoping that they hadn't sent the agents to my apartment to pick up my things yet and that I could get my keys and my wallet and get out of town before they could catch up to me. Thankfully my timing was spot on and I got to the apartment before the other agents did. However, someone else had definitely been there. The door to my apartment was smashed in and everything had been ransacked. I waiting to hear if the persona was still there, but my apartment was is so small, I'm sure that it didn't take them very long to go through everything.

After a minute I moved back toward my room and, to my dismay, my wallet had been gone through and my ID and credit cards were gone. I was gonna have to call the bank eventually and get those shut off. How in the world was I supposed to get any money now? I went to the small envelope I hid under my box spring between the box and the coils of the frame and was relieved to see my birth certificate, social security card, and passport still there. I quickly grabbed them and shoved them in my purse before grabbing my keys as well as throwing a few days' worth of clothing into my duffle bag and making my way down to my car. I got in and started the engine only to see a black car much like agent Hudson's pull up and block me in.

I saw two agents, the one's I recognized from when bio dad's family arrived get out and walk up to either side of my car. The one knocked on my window and motioned for me to roll it down.

"Hello lass, my name is Bobby, I think you need to come with us." He said with an Australian accent. I hung my head and reached over into the passenger seat to grab my bags before I rolled up the window and got out. I knew that I could lock myself in my car, but it would only be a matter of time before they got it unlocked. I had nowhere to run. Bobby took my bags from me and passed them off to the other agent with the blond hair before leading me to the back of the black car.

Thankfully this ride back to the federal building was silent. I only could anticipate how Jack and my bio dad were going to react to me running off. I knew they would be angry, it was just a matter of how angry. I was sure that I was going to be handcuffed to a desk or something drastic (Drastic being the key word). However, after seeing my apartment completely torn through, I was starting to take their words about the threats a bit more seriously. It didn't take us long to reach the same underground garage that we had entered the first time. Bobby came and let me out taking ahold of my arm and leading me toward the door while the other agent grabbed my bags out of the truck.

Entering that office, you could have heard a pin drop. All eyes were on me and I had never felt more uncomfortable in my life.

"We got er" the Australian agent announced. Jack immediately came over and took a hold of my arm and brought me over to the couch with the rest of the bio family sat. He asked the woman to move and then sat me down next to bio dad before pulling out a pair of handcuffs and attaching one to my wrists and one to bio dad's. "What you did was completely reckless and stupid. You aren't leaving until he leaves, and I know he isn't going to try and pull crap like that" Jack said in an irritated voice. "Now I need to know, did anything happen to you or did you see anything that I need to know?" At this point Jack's face was really red and I knew that cocking an attitude was not going to end well for me.

"My apartment…"

"YOU WENT TO YOUR APARTMENT?" Jack yelled

"Don't yell at my daughter like that!"

"I'm not your daughter"

"Enough mates. Now lass, what were you saying?" Bobby stepped in to cut the tension between the two men which I was grateful for.

"Like I was saying…when I got to my apartment, the door was smashed in and my entire apartment was trashed. I went into my room and my ID and my Credit Cards were all gone."

"We did find her birth certificate, passport and social security card in her purse" the blond-haired agent said, joining the conversation.

"Thanks Miles" Jack said (So that's his name). "At this point, we can only assume that Gold and his men have moved on from the apartment and are trying to figure out where you are. Thankfully we got to you before they did. Everyone gather around" Jack then when on to explain the whole situation to his team. I was still dumb founded by the fact that a stupid DNA test had brought all this about (For me anyway). I also learned that David was some part of some sort of local law enforcement in a small town in Maine and that he had gotten one of this Gold guys thugs locked up which is why he was after all of us.

While Agent Hudson dragged on and on about the back story and started to strategize a plan with his team. I noticed that David (I'm trying to be nice) was very intently listening to what the agents had to say. He kept pulling his hands up next to his mouth and thereby dragging my hand along with it. I did notice though, that this left the latch completely open to me to start tinkering with it. I reached up with my free hand and grabbed a bobby pin out and started to gently stick it in. However, I jerked too hard and David felt it. He immediately gave me what I can only describe as a dad look (You know, the one from the movies that makes every kid have chill's run down their spine?). Anyway, he looked at me and immediately grabbed the bobby pin away with his free hand and jerked our connected hands so that I would have to reach over him to get to the latch.

Gotta give the man some credit, he's only known me for a few hours and already knows that I can't be trusted. I wonder if it's genetic. Anyway, since I could no longer focus on getting away from David, I started looking at what I realized were my half siblings. The one girl was probably about 17 and had long blond hair while the boy was about 10 and looked a lot like David. The blond seemed to be overly interested in what the agents were saying while the little boy was reading a book. The woman who I can only assume was David's wife was sitting and watching her children as well as trying to keep up with what the agents were saying. She seemed a bit distraught over the whole thing.

Finally, the lecture was over and, from what I could conclude, they were going to take me along with bio dad and his family (I can only be so nice for so long) to some safe house accompanied by Agent Bobby, Miles, Sue and Jack. They were very light on the details of where said safe house was but that we would be leaving in a few hours and all the agents dispersed and headed off to complete their various tasks. Bio dad took this as his opportunity to introduce me to his family…oh goody.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for checking out this new story!**

 **I want to preface this story a little bit. I know Emma is getting really mouthy but I am trying to think about how a teenage girl would feel getting put into this situation and then told that she has a sibling while tensions are very high. Sammy, I just like her sassy side but I promise that I'll bring out the Emma we all know. Then again, the Emma we all know is a very guarded person so it would make sense for her to be defensive (in my opinion) maybe not start fights but, we are also taking about a teenager. Anyway, I'm rambling.**

 **Also, this story is going to evolved over time so right now it is very OC/Jack/David heavy but I will bring the other characters in more in later chapters but want to build the story.**

 **Please let me know what you think. This story is really flowing and I'm excited to be writing again!**

 **Chapter 2**

Once the discussion was over and the other agents went about their business, I felt David take my trapped hand into his free hand. It made me really uncomfortable since I had only known the man a few hours, but I had no way of escaping his grasp.

"Sammy, I wanna introduce you to my family. This is my wife Mary Margret, you can call her Mary. My daughter Emma and my son Neal." They all said hi, but Emma would barely make eye contact.

"You know blondie, I'm not trying to come in here and replace you or anything" I said snidely

"Sammy!" Bio-dad chided

"What? Your perfect little girl won't even make eye contact with me. She should know that I don't want to be here anymore than she wants me here!" I argued.

"Sammy that's enough" he said in a low voice. "You two are going to have to learn to get along wither you like it or not because from the sound of things, we're going to be spending a lot of time together. And Emma, Sammy's right, she isn't here to step on your turf or make you jealous, there is a lot that your mother and I have to explain to you and Neal once we get settled" Bio-dad tried to smooth it all over, but I knew as well as he did that this wasn't over. I then jerked my hand away from his free hand. I may have had to be bound to him, but I didn't have to let him touch me.

"Well I guess I shouldn't be jealous since I'm not the one in handcuffs" Came a snide remark from the blond which sent me over the edge. I started to stand up and move closer to her, but David quickly copied my moves and was standing between me and little sis keeping me from having it out with her.

"Emma that's enough" I heard her mom say "You both are on edge and both of you picking at each other isn't going to help"

"She's right" David said looking down at me. "Sammy, please sit down and we can talk more about all of this once we have all had some time to cool off okay?" I stared him in the eye before relenting and plopping down on the couch. That's when Agent Hudson decided to come and join in on the family squabble.

"Everything okay over here?"

"Yes, Agent Hudson, that you so much for all you're doing for my family. I really appreciate it" David said trying to cover for the little squabble.

"You're welcome. Hopefully this will help us as much as it helps you and we can finally put this creep behind bars. Also, I forgot but, Mrs. Nolan, I need to collect you and your children's phones" Mary immediately handed hers over and let Jack know that Neal didn't have a phone. Emma however told Jack that she had left her phone behind in the chaos of them leaving. However, I knew a lie when I saw one. I also noticed the small bulge in her back pocket. "Agent Hudson, her phone is in her back pocket" I said acting innocent and helpful.

"Ms. Nolan, please stand up for me" Emma shot me a death glare but did as the agent asked. He immediately saw the same bulge I did and took the phone out of her pocket. "Ms. Nolan, for your own safety, we need you to cooperate. We promise that when this is done, you can get your phone back" and with that Agent Hudson went back to his desk.

"Emma what were you thinking?" David chastised.

"I was thinking that I didn't want to not be able to talk to Killian for who knows how long!"

"You know you aren't supposed to be talking to him Emma! You're only 17 and he's 19" Mary said, already not happy with the blond for lying to the Agent.

"I'm about to be 18!"

"It doesn't matter. Your mother and I already told you that you aren't to be talking to him. Besides, I think a bit of time without technology is going to do us all some good" David said looking around the group. He was totally pulling out the cheesy dad quotes to try and get us to see it his way. I can tell you right now, I'm not buying it.

"I need to use the restroom" I abruptly announced. Jack looked over and I held up my hand with the cuff attached. He seemed a bit annoyed, but he came over and undid the handcuffs and instructed the cute office assistant by the name of Lucy to escort me to the rest room and bring me back. I really didn't have to use the restroom, but I needed a reprieve from the annoying 'family time' I was being forced to participate in.

I took my time in the bathroom and when I came out I decided to see how much I could press my luck. "You know Lucy, I'm really hungry. I never got to eat dinner, is there a chance you could take me down to the cafeteria or something?"

"Sure, let me just stop by the office and let Jack know" We made our way back to the office and Lucy let Jack know our plans. He then instructed Lucy not to let me out of her sight and to come right back. I was just grateful for a few more minutes away from bio-dad and his clan. We made our way down to the cafeteria and got a sandwich, a pop, and a rice crispy treat. I tried to get Lucy to let me eat in the cafeteria, but she said that we would probably be leaving soon and needed to get back. When we got back upstairs I tried to avoid the bio-clan and stay close to Lucy and Sue (Whose desk were facing one another) but agent Jack immediately moved me back over to David and reattached the handcuffs. Have you ever tried to eat a sandwich with one hand? It's not as easy as it looks! David tried to help but having his hand attached to mine like dead weight pretty much made my hand null and void.

Thankfully once I finished my food Jack came over and took the handcuffs off so that he and the other agents could escort us out. Jack stuck with me while Sue walked with Mary and Neal who was asleep on her shoulder. Bobby and Miles walked with David and Emma, everyone had a buddy as it were. They made their way back down the long corridor to the elevators and back down to the underground garage where 3 SUV's were waiting. Mary and Neal along with Sue got into one, David and Emma got into anther with their agents, followed by Jack and me in the last one. I knew by the way this played out that Jack wanted to have a talk with me that I was not wanting to have.

I did my best to act as interested as I could in the sights I could see through the tinted windows. However, once we got on the road, Jack started in. "Sammy, we need to have a serious conversation about your actions to day and how those cannot be replicated again."

"Okay, what about it?"

"You put your life in danger, not only that, but the lives of my agents and the lives of your family…"

"They aren't my family" I mumble under my breath.

"I'm not talking about the Nolan's, I'm talking about your parents and your siblings. When you called your mom, we have no way of knowing if your phone was bugged. They could have been getting information about your parent's ware bouts by tracing that phone call you made" That got my attention and I felt my blood run cold. "Thankfully, we checked your phone and there were no bugs and we have it safely locked up at headquarters alongside the Nolan's phones. Now, do you understand why we are taking this so seriously?" I simply nodded. Everything was finally starting to crash in around me. My life was nothing like what I thought it was when I woke up this morning. I had a whole other family I knew nothing about, my apartment had been ransacked, and I almost put my real parents in jeopardy.

"Now Sammy, I know that none of this is easy for you. We are asking you to live in a confined space for an unknown amount of time with people you don't know. If it gets to be too much, at any point. Please come find me and I will try and find a space that you can get away to and I will keep everyone out. I promise." I was really starting to like this Jack guy. I didn't really before but he is finally starting to grow on me.

"Thanks Agent Hudson"

"Call me Jack"

"Okay, Jack. One question."

"Shoot"

"Do I have to share a room with that blond chick who is supposedly my sister?"

"If I say yes, are you going to take her out in her sleep?"

"WHAT!?"

"I'm kidding. We are going to put the Nolan kids in one room, Mr. and Mrs. Nolan in another and you get your own. There will also me a male and female agent room and a command center room that we will work out of. Other than that, the kitchen and living room are shared spaces. There are also 4 bathrooms, so we will all have enough shower space. The Nolan's will share one, you'll have your own, and the male and female agent rooms have adjoining showers to their rooms. We understand Sammy that this situation is not ideal, and we are going to do our best to keep everyone comfortable okay?"

"Okay, I really appreciate it"

"You're welcome. Now do me a favor and stop trying to run off. I promise, as soon as we have Gold behind bars you can go back to your life."

I sat there and thought about that for a minute. Would I be able to really go back to the same life I had before all this happened? Would I really be able to just forget about this other family? Better question, would they let me forget them? I guess we would have to wait it out and see.

Eventually I passed out from exhaustion, by the time we got on the road is was already 11pm. When I woke up the sun was shining, and we were pulling into the garage of a fairly large house.

"Are we here?"

"Yes, we are Sammy, come on" Jack instructed while he helped me out of the SUV. We then made our way through a door just outside the car into a mud room followed by the Nolan's and their perspective agents. "Alright, here is how this is going to go. Mr. and Mrs. Nolan, you will have your own room and Emma and Neal will share while Sammy will have a room of her own. There is one room for myself, bobby, and Miles and one room for Sue. I will show you where these rooms are and let you get settled in. You will find bags for you already in the rooms. Once you get settled in please make your way to the Livingroom, so we can go over some house rules. Is that clear?" Jack said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Yes" Everyone said. Alright, let's head in. Jack did exactly as he said showing us all our rooms. For me and the Nolan's, our rooms were in the upstairs while the two rooms for the agents were down stairs. Emma complained about having to share with Neal, but Mary quickly squashed that moment of teenage angst and we moved along. Once I was shown my room I immediately got in and shut the door. I hadn't had a moment to really let everything sink in on my own. The last 14 hours had been a total blur and I was beginning to feel the emotional toll it was taking on me. I saw my duffle bag sitting on the bed and quickly opened it to find all the clothes that I had previously packed and then some along with a few personal items like my makeup and hair straighter which I was grateful for. I began to put my clothes away and organize my other items on the dresser before finally laying down on the bed. It was surprisingly comfortable, and I immediately felt myself starting to doze off when I heard a knock on the door.

"Everyone down stairs in 5" came a thick Australian accent. I groaned and haphazardly rolled off the bed and made my way to the mirror. I had huge bags under my eyes and I looked like a wreck. I found the bathroom attached to my room and quickly found a wash cloth and rinsed my face of all the make-up from the day before. I then dried myself off and pulled my hair into a pony tail before making my way down stairs for the house rules meeting. This was going to be interesting.

When I got down stairs, David and his wife were sitting on the love seat while my two would be siblings were sitting on the love sat leaving a single recliner for me which I didn't mind. I wasn't really wanting to be anywhere near them at this point. Once I sat down, Jack and the rest of his team all stood in front of us and Jack didn't take long to get down to business.

"Alright everyone. The following rules are to be followed at all times. There is no arguing and no changing of the rules. The rules are in place to keep all of you safe and to make it, so we can all live here in peace. If everyone is willing to compromise and understand that this is not the ideal situation for any of us, then we can all manage to make it through this peacefully. Understood?" We all nodded back at him, but I don't think that we were all really on the same page, at least not Emma and I. I wasn't necessarily going to be the one to instigate but I also wasn't one to back down from a fight.

"Alright, rule number one. No one leaves this house. We have done all that we can to ensure that no one knows you're here. That is why we drove you here in cars with tinted windows and had you enter the house through the garage, so no one could see who was arriving or how many there were living here. We understand that you may get stir crazy and we will do everything that we can to try and make you feel as normal as possible."

"Rule number two, each person, except Neal, has an agent assigned to them. I will be with Sammy, Sue will be looking out for Mary and Neal as one, Bobby will be looking after Emma and Miles will be looking after David. This is to make sure we have a man on man defense as it were. I assume that Neal, due to him being younger, will be spending the majority of his time with his parents and that is why Neal does not have an agent assigned to him directly."

"Hey! I'm a big kid!" Neal protested

"I know you are buddy. All I'm saying is that I think you'll follow the rules better than the adults" Jack said getting on Neal's level and smirking at the rest of us. Neal seemed to take that and went back to snuggling with his mom.

"Rule number 3, no electronic devices. We have done our best to collect any and all devices that we have found but if we catch you with one or if you attempt to use one of ours to contact the outside world that will not be tolerated. By doing that you are not only putting everyone here at risk of someone finding out where you are, but you are also putting that individual at risk as those who are after you may go after them as a way to get to you. If there is a safe way to contact those that are the most important to you, we will try to make that happen. I'm more referring to you Sammy in being able to contact your other parents"

I did think it was nice of Jack to let me know that he would try and let me contact my parents. Although, I didn't appreciate him calling them my 'other' parents like David and his other family meant anything to me. "Thanks Jack"

"Other than those three rules, all the food is up for grabs, we have individuals that will bring in shipments for us and you can let us know what you like and don't like, and we will do our best to oblige. Also, we are going to allow David and Mary to set curfews for you three…"

"Whoa, hold up. I'm 20 years old, I don't need a curfew, much less from a man who I just met who is claiming to be my dad" I really didn't like how Jack kept treating bio dad like he was actually my father.

"Sammy…" David tried to jump in, but I was not having that "No, I'm an adult. I have been living on my own for the last two years and I'm not going to be given a curfew like I'm some juvenile"

"Alright fine, I'll set your curfew then, 10pm, in your room, no questions asked" Jack said with a smirk.

"No, Jack" I was really getting annoyed at this point, "I don't need a curfew, period"

"If she doesn't need a curfew neither do I" Emma chimed in

"Emma, you're still a minor and you will have a curfew that will be decided by your mother and me. Now stop this nonsense" David said. I could tell that I was starting to get on his nerves, but I really didn't care at this point.

"Sammy, a curfew is just to ensure that we, as your agents, have set times that we can work on things from our end, as well as give us a way to set up a rotation for our agents as we will need to have around the clock surveillance. As for you and Mary, David, we would like for you to both be in your room by midnight but wanted to give you an opportunity to have the kids in bed and unwind a little bit and have some freedom to do things around the house"

"I appreciate that Jack" David replied.

"I'm not a kid" I grumbled under my voice. "No offense Sammy, but your attitude is reflecting that of a child. If you want to be treated like an adult, start acting like one" Jack snapped. I knew I had gone a bit too far at that point, but I also wasn't sure that I wasn't ready to push things just a tad further.

"Well if you're done, I'm gonna go to my room."

"Hold up little lady" came the Australian. "For all of ya, this process ain't gonna be easy but I think that you can all agree that fightin' like this ain't gonna change anything. Now, Jack, anything else that you would like to say?"

"Thanks Bobby. I think we have covered everything. I promise all of you that we are going to do our best to solve this case in the shortest amount of time possible and get you all back to your normal lives. All I ask is that you don't try to kill each other until we get to that point"

"No promises" I heard Emma mumble under her breath. It was really all I needed to finally flip

"You know what you spoiled brat?" I said standing up and glaring at her. "I'm not looking to come in and take your dad. Heck, I didn't even ask for a second dad or to be dragged into your drama. I made the stupid mistake of sending my spit away to a stupid website and then some mobster decided to come after me. So, lay off!" I had started to go toward her but Jack immediately stepped in and wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me back. Thankfully, he knew better than to try and stop me from finishing out what I had to say.

"Sammy that's enough. Everyone to your rooms, guys?" Jack said motioning with his head to lead the rest of the group up to their rooms while Jack forcibly took me to my room.

"You need to cool down kid"

"What do you want me to do? She provoked it! She has been being a total jerk and acting like I want to be here!"

"She is 17, you're 20. Act like it. She is a scared kid who doesn't understand what is going on"

"And I do? You showed up on my door and told me everything I grew up knowing was wrong. Excuse me for not handling that real well."

Jack squeezed the bridge of his nose and took a moment to collect his thoughts. I really didn't understand how he expected me to just handle all of this like it's totally normal, especially with a 17-year-old punk constantly challenging me to go off on her. "Look Sammy, I know that this has been really difficult for you. I also know that this has been difficult for the Nolan family and, as much as it flipped your world, it's also flipping theirs. All I ask is that you steer clear of Emma for now."

"Gladly"

"Alright, go ahead and get some sleep and we'll see you in, well I guess it'll be the afternoon by the time we all get up" and with that Jack made his leave. He was right, I did need some sleep. I began to pull the clothes out of my bag that had been packed for me and pull out some yoga pants and a t-shirt to sleep in when I heard a knock on the door.

"Jack, you just told me to get ready for bed" I said going to the door and opening it only to find David on the other side of the door. "Oh, hi David"

"Hey, mind if I talk to you a minute?"

"I guess" I said stepping aside and letting him in. I really wasn't in the mood, but I also knew that he probably wasn't going to let this go if I didn't oblige. "What's up?"

"I know that things have been tense between you and Emma tonight, but I just ask that you give her another chance. She really is a good girl and I think, after a good night's sleep and some time to process all that's going on, she'll come around"

"Sure, I can do that. Anything else?" I was already exhausted, and I had just had a similar conversation with Jack and wasn't ready to get into it with David.

"I want you to know, I know you don't see me as a parent but, I'm here for you if you need to talk or anything. I really do want to get to know you. I just never though that it would happen like this"

"Or at all" I quipped. These are the times I wish I had more of a filter.

"Sammy…"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just really tired. If you don't mind, I'm gonna get to bed now"

"Of course…goodnight"

"Night" I then flopped down on to my bed and covered my face with my hands. Today could literally not have gone any worse. I really shouldn't have said that, but I am also exhausted and trying to emotionally deal with all the crap that got thrown at me today. Maybe tomorrow (Or later today since it's already morning) I would feel better and be willing to actually have a decent conversation. I then got up, changed into my PJ's and brushed my teeth before crawling into the sheets and immediately passing out


	3. Chapter 3

**Another Chapter!**

 **Thank you everyone for reading this! David and Sammy have a very heartfelt conversation so be ready for some fluff and emotional stuff. After this, I'm going to try and move things along and start to rope in more of the other characters. Like I said, I'm so glad to be back writing. I feel like I have found my muse again. Also, I know this chapter is a tad shorter but I feel like it was a good landing point.**

 **Please read and review and let me know what you want to see between any of the characters or if you have a particular idea and I will see what I can do.**

 **Chapter 3**

I woke up and stretched feeling all of my joints and muscles all protesting my movements. I had no idea what time it was, but I really didn't care. I really wasn't wanting to move out of my bed anytime soon anyway. I normally would reach over and look at social media on my phone at this point but, as previously mentioned, Jack took my phone. I decided to try and get a few more minutes of sleep but then there was a knock on my door. I groaned and then rolled off the bed and begrudgingly slugged over to the door.

"What?"

"Sammy, it's already three in the afternoon, I know we didn't get to bed till around 8am but you're not going to want to throw off your sleep schedule too much" Jack informed me.

"I really don't care about my sleep schedule, I'm going back to bed" I went to shut the door, but jack held up his hand and stopped the door. "Come on down stairs and get some food in you. I already made coffee as well, so you can try and wake up a bit" I rolled my eyes but allowed Jack to lead me out of my room and toward the stairs. My body may have been moving but my mind was also _definitely_ protesting. When we got to the kitchen the other agents were there along with the Nolan family. Annoyingly, the only spot left at the table was next to David. I looked up at Jack to let him know I wasn't going to go over there but he gave me another look that let me know that he wasn't going to let me not eat and to sit down. This morning was not starting off on a good note.

Once I sat down David moved a cup of coffee in front of me along with a box of half and half and a bowl of sugar to decorate it. I took both and made the coffee to my liking before beginning to sip it. I was really hoping that we could continue with this silent 'conversation' of sorts but, after a few minutes of silence, David decided that it was time to talk.

"So, Sammy, how did you sleep" Okay, what happens next is not my fault.

You know those mugs that show the levels of someone being ready for conversation with actual conversation coming in once the cup is empty? Let's just say, my cup wasn't empty. "Look, it's too early and I haven't had enough coffee to start any type of conversation. Can you please just leave me alone?" Yea, didn't mean for that to come out. I saw the look of complete disappointment run across David's face followed by a soothing touch from his wife who seemed nice enough, but I had never had a conversation with her.

"Things were really quiet after that point. As I finished my coffee and took a plate of the eggs and bacon that were on the table, I immediately took off back to my room with Jack following close behind. What did he think I was gonna do, take off out the front door? Before I headed into my room, Jack said, "Hey Sammy, I'm going to head back down stairs, but let me know if you need anything"

"Whatever" and with that he left. I don't know what they talked about, but I took this time alone to finally get in a shower. The warm water flowing over me started to relieve my aching muscles. I think that, with everything that happened, I was too tense for too long and that's what was causing all the pain. This time also gave me an escape from everything that was happening down stairs. What was going on in my life? Less than 24 hours ago, I had a desk job that I loved that worked around my school hours. A group of friends that I enjoyed being with in a city that I loved. I had two devoted parents who loved me and two younger sisters who, I didn't always get along with, but that I did love deep down. Now these people are telling me that, the two people that I love and trust most in the world lied to me my entire life. Not only that, but this stranger downstairs is actually the man who I apparently share half my DNA with. He never mentioned that his wife was my mother so, who is my mother? Where is she? Why aren't they together? If he wasn't supposed to ever have contact with me, did he ever tell his wife about me? He obviously didn't tell his kids. Emma's attitude toward me made that extremely apparent. Pretty sure she and I will end up in a cat fight by the time all is said and done. The worst part of all of this is that, I can't talk to my parents about any of this. I can't get their side of the story. I can't process with them how I'm feeling. That's really is what the worst part of this whole situation is! The Nolan's all have each other to process this whole thing with but I'm completely alone! At this point I'm beginning to sob uncontrollably. Thankfully the sound of the shower drowned out the sound or else I'm sure bio dad would be on his way up here awkwardly and try to make amends for his actions which, I really wasn't in the mood for.

Eventually I get out of the shower and dry off and put on clean clothes. Then I started to do my hair. I figured that, even though I was going to be seeing the same 8 people for the next who knows how long, I should still look somewhat decent. Once that was done I sat on my bed and let my thoughts continue to wonder when there was the dreaded knock on the door. I knew who was on the other side of the door and I debated acting like I was asleep. Then I realized that, if I didn't deal with this today, I would have to deal with it the next day or the day after because this guy was never going to stop. I got up and made my way to the door and, sure enough, bio dad was there awkwardly waiting for me.

"Hey"

"Hey" This was going nowhere. We stood there is silence for what felt like eternity before I finally decided to try and shut the door. "Please wait, I'm sorry. I just…this is just not easy for me a-a-a-and I'm sure it's not easy for you either" This guy knew how to cover his tracks, that's for sure. "Please, just, try and work with me and I'll work with you. Maybe, though all of this, we can figure out some sort of relationship, if you're open to it. It doesn't even have to be father/daughter. It can be, brother/sister, uncle/nice, whatever you want from me, please just, let me in, just a little?" I took a minute. I appreciate him being willing to take it at my pace and not forcing me to try and have a fatherly relationship with him but at the same time, I wasn't sure if I even wanted anything resembling a relationship. I don't even know him. I decided that one conversation couldn't hurt since we were stuck together in this house. I stepped aside and let him come in and he took a seat on the side of the bed and I sat on the provided tiny office chair (You know, the one every college kid has in their dorm with the tiny back that's extremely uncomfortable).

We sat there in uncomfortable silence for a minute before he finally spoke up. "You were a beautiful baby. Your mom, your birth mom, was in labor for a really long time. We were both exhausted but, when you came, all of that faded away. You looked up at me and I look at you and, it was like we had a connection that had been there since the beginning of time. When I saw you, it was like my heart was laying outside of my chest and it was all I could do to hold on to you and keep you from falling apart right there in my arms."

"What was her name?" I didn't even know where my voice came from or that I even was asking the question until it came out of my mouth. For some reason, when He was describing everything, I just felt extremely vulnerable.

"Sandra. Her name was Sandra Batey and we were high school sweethearts. We really did plan to be together for the rest of our lives and take care of you. In fact, we actually kept you for the first 6 months of your life. After that, things got really rocky between her and I and we knew that we couldn't make it work. We didn't want you to have to worry about living between two parents who hadn't even graduated from high school. Not to mention, we had no way of supporting you. That's why we decided to give you up, we wanted to give you your best chance." The way that he looked off into space while he said all of this, it was like his mind was in a completely different time and space, but his body was still here in the room with me.

Almost as if it was an involuntary motion, my hand reached out and touched his shoulder, which brought him back to the real world. "You know, I had a good life". I didn't know what else to say. Seeing this grown man broken in front of me was more than I could handle. I felt responsible for all the pain in his eyes and the emotional distraught status that he was currently residing in. "I'm really glad. Seriously. That was all me and Sandie ever wanted for you."

"I thought you said her name was Sandra?"

"Sandra was her given name but to me, she was always Sandie"

"Oh, I guess that's good to know. Do you know where she is now?"

"Last she and I spoke, she was living with her husband in Portland"

"Oh, does she have other kids to?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But I do know that she has always wondered how you turned out."

"Why didn't you even try to reach out?"

"It was part of the conditions of your adoption. By the time the adoption was finalized, you were almost a year old and were starting to form attachments to me and Sandie. We were worried that you wouldn't bond with your new family and so, to make things easier for you, we decided to make it a closed adoption. Your parents could choose to tell you if they wanted, but we had no legal rights to know anything and were actually bared from contacting you until you turned 18. By then, we, I, figured that you didn't want to know who we were. I also didn't want to disrupt your life."

"Did you know my parents never told me?"

"No. They had mentioned once or twice during the adoption process that they weren't sure about telling you, but they never told us what their final decision was"

"Oh, but Jack said…"

"He said that to try and keep things moving, they could have told you"

"Oh." We sat in what ended up being a comfortable silence for a while. All of this was a lot to handle. Hearing that your parents could have told you but chose not to, hearing that you had different parents for almost the entire first year of your life that you have no memory of. In a way I felt betrayed by my parents. On the one hand, it wasn't really fair to them that they weren't apart of this conversation. But on the other hand, I'm kind of glad they weren't here. I think both David and I needed to have this conversation without any outside input. The only thing I knew in this moment was that none of this changed how much I loved my parents…the parents that raised me that is. This was all starting to get so complicated.

"Did you ever tell your wife? About me I mean"

"yea, I did. By the time the adoption was finalized, Mary Margret and I were just getting to know each other. Technically you two met before" He said with a small smirk.

"Well, I feel bad now for not remembering" I joked back. We needed a moment of brevity in all of this. "What about your kids? If Emma is a gage of anything, I'm gonna guess my existence was a bit of a surprise" I figured this was the next logical question and could lead into how is daughter is a total pain in the behind.

"Believe it or not, they did. In a way, I think that is why Emma has been acting the way she has. We have always told them that, before their mother and I were together, I had another little girl who I loved and that, because I loved her, I had to give her, her best chance. We told them that, there was always the possibility of meeting you one day, but that if we didn't, we were happy with having just them. Now that you're here, I think Emma may feel threatened."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. But answer this, why did you tell them? If you knew you were never going to reach out and let me know you were alive, why did they need to know?" I was starting to get a little frustrated. I felt like everyone had this inside knowledge about who I was that I was never made aware of, until now anyway.

"Because I always hoped that one day you would reach out. I didn't feel like it was fair to you to reach out because I didn't want to disrupt your life. However, if you reached out to me, then I could let you set the pace. I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable with the situation but I also didn't want my kids to get caught off guard and think that their dad was someone that he wasn't. I always wanted to be honest with them about who I was." This man kept proving to me that he genuinely cared yet, I'm still not sure if I have any paternal feelings towards this man. He was being so vulnerable and so honest with me about everything he was feeling. I wasn't sure if I was ready for all of this all at once but, the questions seemed to be coming out without my evening knowing it.

"What if I had never reached out?"

"Then you never reached out. I understood, even thought I was young, that putting you up for adoption meant that I had to put your best interests before my wants."

"That had to be hard"

"It was. I want you to know, this was not how I ever wanted this to happen. Yet, if I'm honest, I'm really glad that we are getting this chance. I know that's really selfish but, I figure you should know where I'm at."

"Thanks…I guess, I'm glad to know the truth. I really haven't had any time to process how I feel beyond that"

"That's okay. Like I said, I'm willing to take this as slow or fast as you want. After all of this, if you don't want a relationship with me, I can respect that, and I'll let you live your life"

"But I can already tell that you wouldn't be happy about it" I said feeling a little uncomfortable. After everything that this man just told me, I know that, if I said I wasn't interested in a relationship, he would be devastated.

"You're right" he said with a bit of a chuckle, "But I'm also serious about this. Like I said, I knew what a closed adoption meant, and I know that none of this has been your choice. I'd appreciate if you gave me a chance, but I also know that you don't owe me anything. If you don't want a relationship, that's your choice and I will always respect that."

"Thanks" What else are you supposed to say? He goes from knocking on my door everyday wanting to get to know me, to telling me I can write this whole thing off like it never happened. I feel so conflicted at this point that I don't know how to feel.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked breaking me out of my own thoughts.

"Um…sure"

"You mentioned that you had a good life, did you mean it?"

"Yea, I did. I have two loving parents and two younger sisters who drive me crazy. I really had a great life."

"I'm glad. That's all that Sandie and I ever wanted for you."

"Well, you picked good" I know, that sounds terrible, but I really didn't know how to respond, and I felt like it was rude to just sit there and not say anything. I'm an awkward person, what do you want?

"Dinner Time" came a knock on the door. I was relieved to finally have a way out. I immediately jumped off the chair and made a b-line for the door and headed downstairs without saying another word. I don't know how David reacted but, he was the one who said we could take things at my pace and I was not able to continue with that conversation.

Dinner was, sufficed to say, awkward. Emma continued to give me the cold shoulder and David and I did our best to sit on opposite sides of the table after our uncomfortably personal conversation upstairs. We left Mary, Neal and the Agents to take up the bulk of the conversation time until dinner was over, and I could go back to my room. Now I wasn't really complaining about the curfew time. Heck, I wouldn't complain if it was earlier, that way I could stay away from everyone and everything until all of this was over. However, my body decided that it didn't care about my curfew and that I desperately just wanted to sleep. By midnight, I was sick of tossing and turning and remembered an old trick my mom used to use when I had nights like this as a kid. I rolled out of bed and started to head down stairs when I heard elevated voices coming from David and Mary's room. I couldn't help but stop and listen.

"David, we cannot expect the girls to automatically become best friends"

"I know that Mary, I do. I just want them to at least try. Neither of them is even willing to so much as look at each other!"

"It's frustrating but give them some time. They literally met 24 hours ago. David, Sammy didn't even know Emma existed! At least Emma had some forewarning. If anyone should have an attitude change, it's our daughter, not Sammy" I appreciated that Mary saw things from my perspective. I feel like David wants an insta-family and wasn't considering all the emotions at play. "David, give it all some time. I know that everything in you wants to jump into full on dad mode with this girl, but she is already an adult. And, I hate to say it, but she already has a dad. You have to accept that fact or else this is only going to get more difficult."

"I know." I could hear the heartbreak in his voice as the realization hit him that, even thought, he may have been my first dad, he wasn't the man that I grew up calling dad. I heard him take a deep breath before continuing on. "I felt like our conversation this afternoon went well" This guy is forever the optimist.

"That's good! Small gains are what are important. We have a lot of forced interaction time here, she may get overwhelmed. Let her come to you this time, okay?"

"You know, it's not nice to eavesdrop" I heard a voice from behind me which caused me to jump. Thankfully I had the thought to cover my mouth, so no sound came out.

"JACK!" I whispered harshly. He then gently moved me away from their door and back towards mine, so we could talk.

"What did I say about curfew?" he said crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was on my way down stairs to get a warm glass of milk when I heard them talking. I just couldn't help but stop and listen" I said sheepishly.

"Alright, let's get you that milk and you need to get some rest" Jacks aid shaking his head and leading me down stairs. When we got to the kitchen Jack had me sit at the table while he warmed up the milk for me.

"So, what's up with not being able to sleep?"

"I think that all of this threw off my sleep schedule." I said a bit sarcastic.

"Well, the best thing you can do is sleep when you're supposed to sleep and wake up when you're supposed to wake up and your body will adjust. It's called jet lag" he explained pushing the cup toward me.

"Yea, well, tell my brain that."

"I know you have had a lot thrown at you in the last 24 hours" why did he have to turn this serious?

"I think that's an understatement"

"was that why you were listening in on them?"

"Maybe" I said not wanting to admit that curiosity got the better of me, much less all that I had heard.

"You and David seemed to have a pretty long talk this afternoon. Did that go well?"

"I guess" Why did this guy care?

"Well I think it's time you got back upstairs." And with that I drank down the rest of my milk and let Jack lead me back upstairs. Before he opened my door, he turned me around to face him and put his hands gently on my shoulders. "Hey, I want you to know, I'm here if you need anything."

"I know…"

"No Sammy, I mean it. I want you to know that you can come to me about any and everything. I know my main priority here is your safety, but if you need something that's not related, that's okay to. I want to take care of the whole you, not just your physical safety"

I really was taken aback by that. I wasn't expecting Jack to be so heartfelt. What as it with the mushy conversations today? However, I did really appreciate it. "Thanks Jack. Goodnight"

"Night" and with that I was off to bed, hoping tomorrow would be better than today.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you everyone for reading this! I'm glad that you seem to be enjoying it. I know it's getting far fewer readers than some of my other stories but I'm okay with that because I'm enjoying writing again.**

 **Also, of course, I have to address the end of an era with the cancellation of once. I am devastated because I have loved this show since it started and have fallen in love with these characters. I definitely wasn't sure that I was ready to follow the "reboot" but I was really starting to like where they were headed and I'm sad that we'll never get to see Eddy and Adam's vision played out to the full extent. However, I am really hoping that they give us all the ending we deserve and bring back all of the old characters for a final hurrah! I would love to see an older Neal as well as see how Snow and David react to having a great grand daughter. I also will not stop writing as long as I feel there is still stories to be told.**

 **With that, please enjoy this next installment! :)**

 **Chapter 4**

The next day started off much like the last. Jack came and woke me up for breakfast. I think he has a vendetta against sleeping in. I trudged downstairs for breakfast. Emma was cold, as usual, but Neal had suddenly found his voice and was nowhere near ready to quiet down. He bounced around the kitchen asking a billion and one questions of the agents. From how old they were, to where they grew up to how many people they had killed. Obviously, this kid had seen way too many cop movies. Finally, he got around to me. "Are you really my sister?" He asked it with such innocence that I couldn't be mad at him. I looked up at Mary and David who gave me an encouraging nod. I wasn't sure what the party line was and didn't want to break the kid.

"Yea kid, I am"

"But my mom's not your mom. Why?" At this point I was starting to panic. David told his kid _way_ too much.

"You know what Neal, all you need to know is that, brothers and sisters don't always have to have the same mom and dad. That doesn't mean that they are any less siblings" Mary jumped in.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense." He said before moving on to the next person he wanted to question. I gave her a thankful smile and went back to eating my breakfast.

Emma got up and put her dishes roughly into the sink before storming out of the kitchen followed by Bobby. I decided that I had had enough of her attitude and immediately got up to follow her and was followed by David, Mary and Jack. "Emma" I yelled after her

"Go away!"

"We need to talk" I yelled back. By this point I had made it to the bottom of the stairs but Jack had his arm protectively wrapped around my mid-section, ready to jerk me away at a moment's notice. At the top of the stairs, Bobby was in the same position with Emma. I'm pretty sure both Agents were sure that we were going to be down each other's throats at any moment.

"What do you want!?" Emma yelled down at me.

"Emma…" David said trying to make his way up the stairs.

"Don't ' _Emma'_ me _dad._ We all know that Sammy is the kid that you always wanted! You settled for me and Neal but she was always the one that you hoped would come back!" Emma spat, as she struggled to get away from Bobby. I on the other hand was in shock and total disbelief at what I had just heard. Why did she ever think that her dad would want me more than her and her brother? I was no one to this guy. He gave me up and never even planned to reach out to me to let me know he existed. How could she take that as him wanting me more?

"Emma, honey…"

"No Dad! You constantly talked about her and how you always hoped that we would get to meet her someday. You never let us forget it! We celebrated her birthday every-freaking-year and for what? So you could feel better about giving her up? Well now she's here dad! Go off and have the family you wanted in the first place!" She screamed with tears running down her face. When she finally stopped she crumpled into Bobby's arms while Mary ran up to be with her.

I felt Jack pulling me away from the scene which just left David to deal with the aftermath of everything his daughter had spewed at him. Then again, so was I. He knew when my birthday way? He celebrated it, even though he never knew if he would ever see me again? Why? Why would he do that? Why did he talk about me to the point where his daughter hated me enough to scream at him? I couldn't understand. Before I even knew it, I was sitting on the couch in a room I had never seen with Jack crouched down in front of me.

"Hey Kid, you still here with me?" He asked taking my face into his hands. I think I was in shock. That's what they call it right? When you can't think straight, and your body moves but you don't feel anything? Cause that's how I was feeling. I didn't even know where Jack had taken me. "Kid?" I heard him ask again. This time he sounded a bit more worried. "Sammy? Sammy, I need you to say something."

"Yea…yea, sorry. I'm here" I finally was able to get out.

"You scared me there for a minute. You okay?"

"Yea, fine. Sorry, not sure what just happened there. I'm good" I went to get up and leave, when Jack gently placed his hands on my shoulders to keep me on the couch in the unknown room.

"I don't think you are. Sit here a minute" He then went over to a mini fridge to my left and pulled out a can of coke and opened it before handing it to me. "Drink this, slowly" I took a few sips and then held it in my hands, staring at the floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

David watched as the agent and his wife took Emma up to her room and Jack pulled Sammy away from the stairs over to who knows where. Once he knew they were out of sight, he allowed his grief to overtake him and he crumpled on the stairs in tears. He hadn't even realized that, in his personal grief of losing Sammy, he had caused his other daughter to feel like a second-class kid, like she could never measure up to the child that was, and it was all his fault.

It was his fault that he had never bothered to see how his talk of Sammy effected Emma. It was his fault that he didn't pay enough attention to his daughter to notice how much his talk of Sammy bothered him. Why did he feel the need to constantly remind her and Neal about Sammy? He never planned on reaching out so why did it matter so much? Why did he always feel the need to celebrate Sammy's birthday with the kids? He could have done it on his own and never made a big deal about it. Instead he always baked a cake and made them sing happy birthday. He did it because he felt guilty. He did it because he wanted to make himself feel better.

He picked himself up off the stairs and walked toward his room. He needed to be alone for a minute.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma allowed the agent to carry her into her room that she shared with Neal and put her on the bed before he excused mother and daughter to have a moment alone. Mary made her way over to the bed and gently moved Emma's hair out of her face before starting to rub soothing circles into her back. She knew that Emma just needed to let it all out.

Mary had mixed feelings about the whole thing. She knew that Emma hated when David would talk about Sammy, but she never realized that her frustration had grown into this. She just figured that she found his constant need to keep Sammy at the forefront of their minds annoying. She never thought that it had created a sibling rivalry before Emma and Sammy had ever met.

Mary always thought that David's seemed obsession with the daughter he gave up a bit odd. That was until they had Emma. At that point, she completely understood. Even though he never got to act as her father, she always had a part of his heart. However, she did try and talk to him about how he made them all celebrate her birthday but, every time she did, he would get upset and hurt. She had a level of understanding that the kids didn't, but she couldn't get him to see that. His emotions were blocking his judgement when it came to Sammy and her impact on the rest of the family.

Emma's breathing eventually evened out as she fell asleep. Mary tucked her in and decided to go downstairs and check on Neal, or rather, save agent Miles and Sue from Neal's badgering questions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack and I sat in a comfortable silence for a minute before he reached up and took the coke can out of my hands and set it on the coffee table behind him. He then moved to sit on the couch next to me. "You wanna talk about it?"

"If I say no, can I go?" I quipped back. Jack took a deep sigh before continuing. "Why did you go after Emma?"

"what?"

"you heard me, why did you go after Emma?"

"I was sick of her attitude. I figure, we're going to be trapped in this house together and we might as well have it out now instead of doing this cold shoulder act day after day"

"And how did that work out for you?"

"Well, I think you were there"

"Yea, I was, but I want to know how you think it went?"

"I think Emma finally got a chance to get her feelings out" I said meekly

"Also, true, but what about you, Sammy? What do you feel?"

"Jack, I…"

"Sammy, I know that talking is not your strong suit and you don't really know me, but after the way you reacted to all of that, I think you need to at least acknowledge what just happened"

"What just happened? I tried to confront Emma and ended up ripping their family apart. Is that what you want me to say?" I finally burst out. I couldn't take his pecking at me anymore. I know that my life had been turned upside down but, I never meant to do the same thing to them. At this point there are tears streaming down my face. I never would have even noticed had Jack not wiped them away.

"Sammy, none of this is your fault…"

"REALLY? Really Jack!? The fact that a father daughter relationship blew up on that staircase isn't my fault?"

"Sammy, there is no way that you could have ever known that Emma's 'cold shoulder' as you put it, was actually her way of trying to keep her anger toward David inside." I tried to turn away, but Jack took a gentle hold of my shoulders and kept me facing him. "You couldn't, Sammy. The answer is that you couldn't have known." I'm now sobbing. Thankfully Jack had enough sense to stop talking. He finally pulled me into his chest and held me while I cried. It reminded me of when I was little, and I would get scared, how my dad would put one hand on my back and hold me to his chest while cradling my head with his other hand. The guilt I was feeling was still crushing in on me, but Jack being there was helping a little.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

David put his face into his hands and allowed the sobs to rake through his body. His own brokenness shown on his daughters' face was what finally broke him. He knew, deep down, that the adoption had broken him, but he pushed it down and acted like it wasn't there. He covered up his pain by celebrating his lost daughter and never forgetting her. He thought that, by making her an invisible part of his family, it would atone, in a way, for what he had done. It would atone for giving her up.

At night he would replay the day that they handed Sammy over to Louise and Melvin over and over. Sammy was sobbing and calling out for them. She kept yelling "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" and it broke David's heart into a million pieces. He thought that, moving on with his wife, time would heal all wounds. Since that evening in Sammy's living room, he knew that phrase to be a lie. Eventually, David felt a soft hand rest on his shoulder before he felt the arm attached to that hand stretch across his back and wrap around him in a gentle embrace. He would know the touch of his wife anywhere. He leaned into her and allowed her presence to comfort him in a way that only she could.

He didn't know how long they remained embracing one another, but David didn't care. He had to allow the pain to finally come through so that he could begin to heal, not just for himself, but for his family. Finally, he allowed himself to sit up and wipe away both the new and the old tears that had stained his face before shifting to face his wife.

"I really messed up"

"We both did"

"Mary…"

"No, hear me out. When we first got together, I didn't understand why you couldn't get past Sammy's adoption. I know, I had met Sammy and I was there with you that day, but after that, you just seemed to always be stuck there. Then we had Emma. That's when I understood. Sammy was a piece of you walking around outside your body and you couldn't be there for her."

"But in that, I hurt Emma"

"You did. But you can also make it better"

"How? How do I gain back her trust? How do I let her know that I love her and that Sammy being here doesn't change that?" he felt at a total loss on how to move forward.

"You show her, just like you always do. You continue to love her and, you have a heart to heart conversation about how she feels. Most importantly, you validate her feelings. You let her know that it's okay that she feels the way she does. Then, you reassure her that, even though she feels that way, it's not the reality of the situation and you continue to remind her of the truth, that she is just as much your daughter as Sammy and remind her of the special relationship that you two have because you got to raise her, not in a way that puts her above Sammy, but that points out the unique part of your individual relationship with her."

"How did I end up with such a smart and beautiful wife?"

"Because you're hot" She said before leaning in to kiss him. They kissed for a minute and then Mary started to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Before I came in here, I went to check on Neal and make sure that he wasn't giving Miles or Sue a run for their money, instead, Miles had flipped the script and started asking Neal questions. I just backed out and walked away, I figure it was time the kid got a taste of his own medicine!" She then broke into laughter followed by David. "That kid, I wonder where he gets the lung capacity to talk as much as he does" David chimed in.

"Probably from his father" Mary said giving him a look.

"Oh no, the amount of time you and Ruby spend on the phone, he definitely gets it from you" David argued.

"Then he gets it from the both of us" Mary said before moving in for another kiss

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Emma finally woke up and looked around the room. Because of the nature of where they were, the windows were all covered so, she had no idea what time of day it was. Her sinuses hurt from crying and she felt a headache coming on. She did her best to wipe off her face before going to the bathroom that joined she and Neal's room to her parents, blowing everything out of her nose that she could to try and relieve the pressure in her head. Finally, she felt a bit of relief and she made her way back to her room to find her dad sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Hey kiddo"

"Hey dad" she said a bit shyly. She tucked a small piece of hair behind her ear and shuffled her feet. She didn't know how to react to him right now. She knew that what she said wasn't really how she felt. She really loved her dad and she knew that he loved her. She was scared. She was scared of what having Sammy in their life meant for her. She was scared that, after all these years of talk about this long-lost sister that, it wouldn't live up to the hype of it all, that she would get hurt. She was broken out of her thoughts by the strong embrace of her dad.

David wrapped one strong arm around her and used the other to cradle her head close to his chest. He didn't know what words to say, but he knew that he couldn't just let Emma stand there feeling guilty for one more second. He kissed the top of her head and continued to hold his little girl in his arms. Within a few minutes, he could feel Emma begin to sob. "I love you baby girl"

"I love you daddy. I'm sorry" Emma said through her sobs. David pulled away just enough so that he could take her face into his hands.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. It's okay for you to be upset. This is hard on all of us. None of us know how to handle this because none of us have ever walked through this before. And if anyone gets to be sorry, it's me. My actions, no matter the reason, were the reason that you feel that way."

"Daddy"

"No, hear me out. I felt like, if I was going to be the best dad I could be, that I had to keep Sammy at the forefront of my mind because, if I didn't, I would forget her, and I would be being a bad dad. In the process, I didn't think about how that would make you feel. I didn't realize that, in a way, I was creating a sibling rivalry before you two ever had a chance to meet." He said with a bit of a chuckle. Emma followed suite. She had to admit, it was a pretty honest description.

"Mom said the same thing and, I don't think I could have put it any better. I'm really sorry for what I said, I know that you love me and, as much as I don't like her, I know that she isn't going to take my place." Emma said

"Emma, why don't you like her?" David asked honestly.

"Dad, you already said it. This long-lost sister who I have heard about for years who was always just a possibility has now shown up here. I always felt a little jealous of her because she could do no wrong because she wasn't there to screw anything up."

"Emma, I've been a father long enough to know that every kid screws up. Granted, I do have some guilt on Sammy's part for giving her up. However, that doesn't' mean that I think she's perfect. As you've already seen, we have problems of our own. All I ask is that you give this a chance." David said smoothing down her hair with his hands before framing her face.

"I'll try. However, if she starts something I make no promises" Emma said crossing her arms.

"I guess that's better than nothing" "David laughed before kissing her forehead. "Now let's head downstairs. It's gotta be close to lunch time now" He then wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulders and led her down stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack held me until I had no more tears to cry. Eventually, I sat up and wiped my face before Jack put a Kleenex into my hand. "you feel a little better now?"

"A little, thanks"

"Sammy, I know you don't believe me, but I want you to know that you cannot carry around guilt for what happened today. You didn't cause the riff between David and Emma, you simply gave them the chance to realize it was there" I then rolled my eyes at Jack. Of course, he would say something profound like that to try and make me feel better. "Yea, whatever. Where are we anyway?" I asked looking around the unknown room.

"We're in one of the extra rooms that we use for some of the night shift agents, so they have a place to crash and don't have to wake the rest of us up." Jack laughed. What did he expect? Things had already gotten to touchy feely and I needed to change the subject. "You ready to go out and face everyone else?"

"If I have to"

"You don't have to" Jack said very seriously.

"Jack…"

"Sammy, I told you, my job is to take care of you, in any way that I can. If you aren't ready to go out there with everyone, that's okay." I took a minute to take in what he said. My whole life, I've always done something because I felt like that's what people wanted me to do. I never want to let anyone down or put anyone else out. With Jack putting me first and, ultimately, making me put myself first, I wasn't sure what to do. After a few moments, I decided to take Jack up on his offer.

"Can I just go to my room for a little bit?"

"Absolutely" and with that Jack got up and offered his hand to help me up and we were on our way across the living room to the stairs and up to my room. I was very thankful that David, or any of the other members of his family, didn't us come through. I really wasn't ready to see them, hence why I was wanting to escape in my room. "Do you want me to bring any food up for you?" Jack asked.

"Not right now, thanks" Jack gave me a look that said he was not happy with that response. "If it's really that important to you, you can bring me up a cheese stick and a cream soda okay?"

"You need more than a cheese stick, I'll bring you up a sandwich"

"If you were already going to do that then why did you ask?" I don't understand this man!

"Because I was hoping to see that you had taken my self-preservation speech to heart and start taking care of yourself. Until you get it through your stubborn head, I'll have to take care of you" He said with an annoying wink. What is wrong with a girl who is emotionally drained just wanting some cheese and a soda? Nothing I tell you! This guy was going to get on my nerves. I apparently already have two dads', I don't need a third.

Jack ignored my annoyed expression and went down stairs to fix my sandwich. I took the time to go into my bathroom and wash all the dried tears off of my face with a warm washcloth. It was very relaxing to have that off my face and let the heat soak i. I then went back to my room and put on a sweatshirt and waited for Jack to return with the sandwich he was trying to force down my throat. As long as he still brings me my cheese stick and my cream soda, I guess I don't care.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

David immediately went to Jack when he saw him enter the kitchen. "Jack, is she okay? Where is she?" He knew he needed to let her know that he wasn't mad at her.

"She needs some time. I'm gonna bring her some food and let her process a little bit and then I'm sure she'll be ready to come out and you can talk to her then."

"Jack…"

"David, I know you want to be there for her, and I can appreciate that. Give her some space and let her come to you. She'll come around"

"I just know she has to be beating herself up about what happened"

"You're right, she is. Just keep reminding her that you're there for her and, like I said, she'll come around"

"Thanks Jack"

"You're welcome. I'm gonna take this up to her" he said holding up the sandwich he had been making while they were talking. He also stopped by the fridge and grabed her the requested cream soda and cheese sick. He really appreciated that David was aware of how Sammy was feeling. He just hoped that he would take his advice and give Sammy her space.


	5. Chapter 5

**Another day, another chapter! Like I have been saying, I finally have my mojo back! Also, I updated _Emma Broke The Curse at 15_ if you were interested in reading that. Also, I wanted to remind everyone of the ages of the characters as this chapter does mention the age gap between Emma and Sammy.**

 **David - 36**

 **Mary - 35**

 **Sammy - 20**

 **Emma - 16**

 **Neal - 10**

 **As always, I love to hear what you think as well as get comments on what you want to see. This chapter ends on a bit of a cliff hanger so I hope you enjoy it! It's also a bit shorter but a good amount of story and conversation happens and there is also a lot of emotions so I didn't want it to bee too much all at once. Also, I liked where it ended and didn't want to move too fast.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

David watched Jack make his way up the stairs and it made his heart ache. He knew that Jack was right about needing to give Sammy space, but he still couldn't get over the small pain of jealously that Jack was getting closer to his daughter than he was. After Jack was out of sight he went back to the kitchen where everyone else was gathered and Sue was teaching everyone the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet. Emma was a natural and picked it up right away with Neal not falling too far behind. Although, there were a few letters his hands just couldn't seem to get to cooperate with. It was great to see his kids connecting with the agents that were protecting them. He knew that, if they felt safe with them during these times, if something were to happen, they would feel comfortable to go to them if things ever headed south.

"Hey, you okay?" Mary said coming up and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"yea, fine. Wow, Emma is really good at this" He was trying to deflect.

"David, I know you. I know that Jack and Sammy's relationship is bothering you"

"It's fine. I'm glad that Sammy is finally feeling comfortable with someone, she needs that, especially with all that we are going thought"

"But you wish it was you"

"Mary…"

"David, it's okay for you to feel that way. If roles were reversed and Sammy was my daughter, I would be devastated that my daughter felt better with a total stranger than me"

"But I am just as much a stranger to her as Jack yet, she doesn't see him the same way. He didn't give her up, he didn't cause her to be in a situation where she had to find out that her parents had lied to her for 16 years. He wasn't the one who gave her up. We may both be total strangers, but I'm the stranger who has a lot more to atone for" David was in an uphill battle that he felt he could never win. Mary then took David by the hand and led him away into the living room, so they could have some semblance of privacy (Even though Agent Miles had seen them move and had his watchful eye on them from the passage between the two rooms).

"David, all of those things may be true, and Jack may have the upper hand in this situation, but you are forgetting one key thing, Jack will never be her father. He is never going to be able to take your place as her father. Yes, you may have been the catalyst for the issues that we are all facing, but you couldn't have predicted that her parents were never going to tell her the truth of where she came from. Their choices are not your fault. You couldn't have changed their mind even if you tried. I know this is never how you wanted her to find out but you can't change what has already happened."

"Mary, I know that. I'm not blaming myself for this…"

"David, be honest with yourself. If you aren't blaming yourself then why are you feeling so guilty? Because no one else is blaming you for this"

"She is blaming me Mary! She can't even stand to be in the same room with me!"

"Hey guys, I don't want to intrude on your conversation, but I would recommend you keep your voices down. I know you wouldn't want Sammy hearing any of this unprocessed emotion and having her get the wrong idea" Miles jumped in. David looked over at him a bit annoyed but was ultimately grateful for the moment to take a breath. He was right, he didn't want Sammy to hear what he was saying because it was his raw emotions. He really wasn't sure what he was feeling but he knew that if Sammy heard him, it would only make matters worse.

"David" Mary reached up and touched his cheek "You're a good father. We are all in over our heads here and I think you need to take a minute and breath" He let his chin hit his chest before leaning his head into her hand. "You're right…you're always right"

"I know" she said before stretching up and kissing his forehead "Why don't you go up to our room and take some time and process all of this?"

"Okay" He said before leaning down and kissing her on the lips. He was then followed up to his room by agent Miles while Mary went back to be with the kids and see what other signs Sue was teaching them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I sat on the bed picking at a hangnail when Jack finally got back with my food "As you requested, a cheese stick and a cream soda along with some real food in the form of a sandwich" he said as he held out the plate. He may have been right. After waiting up here for a while, I was getting hungry. "Thanks"

"Don't mention it" he said as he took a seat on the tiny desk chair. I went to take a bite of the sandwich when I looked up at him and noticed he was still here…staring at me. "Are you just gonna sit there or….?"

"I'm here to make sure you actually get some food in you. You really can't tell me you aren't hungry" I rolled my eyes at him. Such a know-it-all.

" _Fine_ I'm hungry. Are you happy now?" I then took a dramatic bite out of my sandwich.

"Yes! Now I'll give you a little bit of space while I also grab a bite. Miles is up here if you need anything okay?"

"Sounds good"

"Stop talking with your mouth full"

"Why? Don't you like _see_ food?" I said opening my mouth up to expose the little bit of sandwich I had managed to chew up between sentences.

"You're gross, eat up" Jack said as he exited. Okay, maybe he wasn't trying to be a third dad, maybe just an annoying older brother or cool uncle. I could live with an older brother. I then devoured the sandwich and cheese stick before laying back and taking a long drink of the cream soda. It was so sweet and so cold that it sent shivers all over my body. I set the can down on the night stand before laying my head back on the pillow. This was all so much to take in. Nothing in life prepares you for things like this. Someday I'll write a book _What to do when you find out you're adopted and a psychopath is after you_ so the next kid in this situation can have some sort of guide on how to navigate this type of crap.

Here is what I know, (I'm in a list mood). Number one, my parents lied to me for the last 16 years about my being adopted when they didn't have to. Number two, my biological dad has a wife and two other kids and is involved in law enforcement. He pissed off some psychopath and now he is after his family, which apparently includes a long-lost daughter that he gave up for adoption. Number three, my biological dad was never going to reach out and tell me he existed. Number four, I am currently under protective custody with the FBI because of a psychopath who wants to kill me. And finally, number five, needs to send warning labels on their DNA tests so that no other kid ends up in this situation. This is why they say that truth is stranger than fiction.

This was all starting to hurt my head, so I decided to close my eyes. I don't know how long I was out, but I definitely feel asleep, the drool on my pillow is enough to prove that. I pulled myself out of bed and chugged the rest of the cream soda which had become flat by this point and made my way out of my room. Of course, with my luck, I end up running right into David (literally).

"Oh, sorry. Oh, hey Sammy" He said rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. From the look of him, I'd say that he had also just woken up from a nap.

"Hey"

"Um, can we talk?" I was at a cross roads. Talk to David and risk another mushy conversation or, deny him and see him be dejected the rest of the night. Really, I was in a catch 22 situation where I was not going to come out on top. I took a minute and stared at the floor. Jack told me that I need to advocate for myself and that, if I didn't want to talk about something, I didn't have to and to move at my own pace.

"I'm really not up to that right now, maybe later" and with that I took off down the stairs. I couldn't see the look on David's face because he wore his heart on his sleeve. I didn't need to feel bad right now. I then made my way down to the living room and found the chronicle of Narnia book set on the shelf and grabbed the horse and his boy before plopping down on the couch and loosing myself in another world. As I started to read I saw David walk into the kitchen before Miles positioned himself between the two rooms.

On a side note, and this may just be me, I think it is crazy that these agents have us in a house that is completely locked down and all the windows are covered yet, they don't like to leave us alone when they are in the next room. The sick and twisted part of me wants to get up off this couch and make a run for the front door just to give them something to do (as well as give the rest of us a bit of entertainment). But maybe that's just me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey sweety" Mary said coming up and giving David a kiss on the cheek.

"Dad! Look! N. E. A. L. NEAL!" he said showing David each letter that he made with his hands.

"Wow buddy! That's great! Did Sue teach you that?"

"Yea! She also taught me some other signs, do you wanna see?"

"Maybe in a little bit buddy, but keep practicing, you're doing great!" He said ruffling his son's hair.

"You clear your head?" Mary asked rubbing her hand up and down his arm.

"Kind of. I ended up falling asleep"

"Maybe that was what you needed. You've been stressed out with all of this and that can take a toll on your body"

"I saw Sammy, she won't talk to me"

"David, Jack told you, give it some time"

"Dad" Emma's voice pulled them both out of their conversation and back to reality

"Hey sweetheart, what's up?" David said trying to cover his own distraught disposition.

"Can I go talk to Sammy?"

"I don't know Em, I think she may just need some space right now" Mary jumped in.

"Mom, Dad, I promise I'm not trying to start something. I've been thinking a lot about what happened this morning, I want to talk to her, please" She said looking between the pair. They weren't really sure that the two of them talking would do any good at this point. Sure, they had both had a chance to calm down, but everyone was still so on edge.

"Em…"

"Dad"

"David, I think it might not be a bad idea for them to try and at least start trying to hash this out" Jack said entering into the conversation. "I don't mean to overstep, I just think that, if Emma is willing to talk, Sammy mentioned that she would like to talk to Emma if Emma was willing"

"Thanks for the input Jack but the _Hash_ part of the 'hashing it out' is what I'm worried about" David said giving Emma a look. She had said earlier that if Sammy started something that she made no promises to behave. Everyone was so volatile already; a fist fight wasn't going to help.

"Tell you what, I can go in there and make sure that they don't rip each other to shreds" came Bobby's Australia accent. David and Mary Margret looked between each other and had a silent conversation. David really wasn't pleased that the agents were butting in on their parenting choices. Then again, maybe they weren't seeing things clearly and needed someone from the outside to bring some perspective. Also, their kids tended to behave better around strangers than they ever did around their parents.

"Alright, if Bobby goes in there with you, you can talk to her. But Emma, if you start something, so help me, there will be consequences" David said pointedly.

"Do you best to be nice, remember you are both going through a lot." Mary added.

"I know mom. Thanks daddy!" She said getting up on her tip toes and kissing David's cheek before heading to the living room followed by Bobby. David and Mary prayed that they didn't just open the door to a cat fight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bobby led Emma into the living room where Sammy was reading. He was glad that Emma was starting to come around. He had been worried that they would never make it past the cold shoulder phase of the relationship and that he, and the other agents, would end up playing keep away for the duration of their time here. He motioned for Emma to stay put while he went over and prepped Sammy. He knew the interruption would come better from him, then from Emma.

"Hey kid, mind if I talk to you a minute?" I looked up at the sound of the Australian accent but was immediately distracted by Emma standing behind him looking anxious about something.

"If this has anything to do with Emma, I'm out" I quickly cut to the chase.

"Hey now, don't be like that"

"Agent Bobby…"

"Sammy, here me out. Emma wants to talk, that's it. You went after her earlier because you said that talking it out would help. I think you need to give her a chance since, technically, you started it." I hated that he was right. Why in the world did I even go after her this morning? Why did I not think this though and act on impulse. Bobby gave me a look that let me know he was waiting on me to give him an answer.

"Fine…" He gave me a smirk before gesturing over to Emma to join us. I sat up and made some room for her and set my book on the coffee table. She was not ready for this conversation but, she was glad that Bobby was here instead of David or Mary. It would have felt like they were ganging up on her or trying to get her to drink the Kool-Aid or something. Emma sat on the other end of the couch and Bobby settled in on the coffee table so that we could see each other but he could still intervene if it came to blows. We sat in silence for a good five minutes with no one saying anything and I decided to finally break the silence.

"So, what do you want?"

"Oh…um…"

"Sammy, come on" Bobby obviously wasn't amused.

"No, Agent Bobby, she's right. I was the one who asked to talk but has been silent." I appreciate that. Emma took a deep breath and then locked eyes with me as she began to talk "Sammy, I know that things haven't been easy these last few days, especially for you. I'm sorry I've been a brat"

"Thanks" now I was the one with nothing to say.

"Emma, I think that was really big of you to apologize to Sammy. I know it's not easy, especially under these circumstances" Bobby butted in. I appreciated him filling the silence. I also think that his accent helped because it was different than Jack or David's voice and kept us grounded.

"I just feel like, I'm the one who started things so, it's not fair to Sammy" Emma said looking down at her lap.

"Emma, I appreciate your apology. I…I know that your long-lost sister showing up unannounced probably wasn't easy either. I shouldn't have engaged in the fighting either. Also, I just want you to know, I don't plan on stealing your dad. To be honest, I don't even know what I want from that relationship right now but, I know that I don't want to come in and break up your family."

"I know that. I've always known that. My dad constantly reminded me of that, even though you were somewhere out there, you would never take my place and that he wouldn't love me any less if you ever got to be a part of our family." She was starting to cry now, I didn't know what to say.

"Hey Emma, it's okay" Bobby soothed. "You are doing so well. I know that all of this has been difficult on all of us and that, especially today, there have been a lot of emotions. I'm glad we're getting to have this chance to start to work through things"

I just kept staring at my lap. I never know how to react when people get emotional. I always deal with my emotions on my own. I don't know how to help other people when they're upset. "I'm sorry I caused you and your dad to have that fight. I really just wanted to try and help you and I find a common ground, so we could get through this without killing each other" I don't know where that came from but, when I looked up, Emma had a smile and was chuckling a little bit.

"Oh, trust me, that fight was a long time coming. I love my dad but, when he starts something and gets invested in it, he can't let it go. That was the same with you. It was like we had this invisible person that we had to live up to. That fight was going to happen one day or another, even if you had never shown up."

"Well, still. It was the last thing any of us needed with everything else that's already going on. You all need each other to rely on." As I said that the sadness from before started to creep back in. The realization that, I really only had Jack while they all had each other.

"Sammy, you can rely on us to. I know this has to be hard, being here all by yourself. I know you don't know us really well but, I promise that, if you give my dad an inch, he'll be any and everything you want him to be. He really does love you" Emma said this as she leaned across the couch and put a hand on my knee. She may be young but, she was really good at having these conversations, better than me anyway. It was now that I wonder if she wasn't mean to the older sibling in this relationship.

"Thanks, I don't want to intrude. Also, at some point this will all be over and we're all going to go back to our lives, I don't want anyone to get too attached."

Emma chuckled a little, "I think it's too late for that. If you're lucky, my dad won't find some way to force you to come and live with us, or at least get visiting privileges." That thought made my blood run cold. I was an adult with my own life, I wasn't about to try and have someone who I barely knew try and force me to become a part of a family I wasn't even sure I wanted. "I'm sorry" came Emma's voice, "I didn't mean…He wouldn't make you do someone you didn't want...I…"

"No, it's fine" I cut her off. "I just haven't thought that far, after we leave here I mean."

"Sure…I just know that, getting to know you would mean everything to my dad"

"yea…I know." I just sat there in silence. I didn't know what to say. After a few minutes I heard Bobby start to talk. I had forgotten that he was even still here.

"Emma, thank you so much for initiating this. I think this is a really good start, for both of you. Why don't we all give each other some space, process this conversation, and we can move forward from here, okay?"

"Sure, sorry again Sammy" and with that Emma got up and went back to the kitchen to be with her family.

"I'm gonna go up to my room" I started moving and Bobby helped me while following me up the stairs. I quietly went into my room, leaving him outside and threw myself on my bed. This was all too much for me. I think I might have actually preferred when Emma hated me, that way David was the only one who was pressuring me to be 'part of the family'. I understand that Emma was doing it for her dad and that she wanted him to be happy but, I just was not sure that I could take a double team effort right now. After an hour or two I heard a knock on the door. I figured it was Jack trying to get me to come down to dinner or David deciding that, if Emma had her shot, he should have one to. But, when I opened the door, I was surprised to see a much different face at the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Guys! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in forever! I got the stomach flu which knocked me out for about a week (I slept through some days and woke up the next not realizing a whole day had passed). Literally the day I got back to work things took off like a rocket and I have had no time to write until now. I really do want to update regularly but I work in higher education which means that things are moving a breakneck speed and I have a super wonky schedule until at least mid May. However, I'm going to do my best! :)**

 **As for the story, things are about to take off! I really hope you enjoy it and please let me know what your thoughts are and what you would like to see!**

Chapter 6 

"Your children are naturals" Sue complimented as she watched Emma and Neal quickly pick up on ASL and learning the different signs. "They really are natural's"

"Thank you, Sue. You're very sweet to take time to teach them" David replied. He was also a bit amazed at how quickly his kids were picking it up and that that were genuinely liking to learn.

"Of course, it's always nice to teach someone else to sign so that we can communicate in a new way"

"Well they definitely have one up on me. I was never good with languages" David joked

"Nonsense! Here, let me show you" Sue then took David's hands and started to teach him the ASL alphabet. He found learning the new language a good way to keep his mind off of his own frustrations with not being able to go and talk to Sammy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I wasn't sure exactly how to react to what I was seeing. Mary was standing in the door way looking nervous as all get out. What did she want?

"Hey Sammy, do you mind if we talk for a minute?"

"Um…I'm not sure that we have anything to talk about" I really meant it to. What did she want to talk to me about? I wasn't her kid and I wasn't her responsibility. The only thing I could think was that she was going to do was

"I understand that this is probably all very confusing for you"

"If you're referring to you being here right now, yea, it's weird"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset" She said as she stood up and went for the door. I felt bad now. She put herself out there, I might as well give her a chance.

"Wait…I should be sorry. I want to hear you out"

"You really don't have to…"

"Please" I watched her toss around what she should do in her mind. I then watched her relax a bit and make her way over to the spot on the couch next to me.

"Thank you. I really mean it"

"I know"

"So, what's your favorite food?" What? Why was this woman asking me what I like to eat? "Um…The basics, burgers, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, I'm pretty basic"

"That's not bad. I tend to like the classics as well. What do you like on your burger?"

"Not much, Cheese, Ketchup, mayo, nothing else. I don't really like a lot of different flavors all mixed together"

"That's okay. It's good to know what you like and what you don't. Ice Cream or Cake?"

"Ice Cream, hands down. I always tend to have some ice cream in my freezer, back in my old life anyway"

"Well I am a firm believer in ice cream being a part of a balanced diet. We'll have to put in a request" She said with a smirk. It made me smile a little bit. At least we found common ground on one thing. "I think you're right" I figured I should chime in with something relevant.

"You know, hearing you talk about this stuff, you're a lot like David" Here it was, I knew that this simple banter was leading to something bigger. However, I had already been mean to her earlier so, here goes nothing "Oh really?"

"Yea, he loves when we have picnics because he knows I can bring a bunch of crazy ingredients. I tend to like to try and explore different flavors which drives David crazy"

"I'm always willing to try something one, but I pretty much know if I'll like it or not before I even try it" This caused Mary to start laughing. What did I say?

"I can't even count the number of times David has said that to me! How can you two know if you'll like it before you try it? I'm sure if I blind folded you and made you try it you may find some new things that you like!" She protested in jest. That then made me laugh.

"Because! I can compare it to something that I've had before that smells or looks similar, I just assume that whatever you're offering is probably just like it and so I know I won't' like it."

"That's not fair! You can't judge a perfectly innocent food on the basis of one that was bad before! Like I said, blindfolds would broaden both your pallets" Mary chided playfully. I was starting to like her, despite myself. "Hey, fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, same on the food. It's not my fault that they have evil twins out there that have tarnished their reputation"

"Well I think you should know that you're hurting the foods feelings"

"Well they hurt my taste buds" She had another thing coming if she thought she would win this argument. Mary simply shook her head at me at this exact realization.

"Well I think it's time for us to go downstairs and get the agents to get us some ice cream, what do you say?"

"I guess" She then held her hand out to me. I stared at it for a moment, I wasn't sure if I was ready to just talk out of this room hand in hand. Then again, she had done what only Jack had managed up to this point, she broke me down and made me feel like she genuinely cared without me even realizing it. I took one more look at her hand and then decided to take a small leap and put my hand in hers. We then proceeded to make our way downstairs with the rest of the family.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I looked up to see Mary walking down the stairs hand in hand with Sammy. I'm not sure what she said or did, but I was going to have to grill her later tonight. Then again, she has always been good with people and could win over her worst enemy if push came to shove. If I'm honest, there was a tiny bit of jealousy that creeped in. I have watched both Jack and my Wife be able to break down this girls walls in ways that I simply don't understand. I feel at such a loss when it comes to Sammy. All I want is to let her know how much I care about her and want to get to know her and be whatever she wants me to be, but all I seem to do is push her away.

"David?"

"Hey ladies, I think they brought some snacks out in the kitchen if you're interested"

"Thanks honey, you okay?" Mary asked, she knew me too well to take that seriously but we both knew it wasn't the time.

"Yea, kids are learning ASL from Sue and really picking it up! They even taught me how to say my name" I said showing her my hands as I formed each letter.

"That's really great! I'll have to have them teach us how to sign our names, right Sammy?" I could see the panic quickly appear and disappear on Sammy's face at the thought of having to interact with me in this moment. "Sure! Sounds fun!"

"Wonderful! Come on David, you can watch us fumble though" Mary said reaching her hand out to me. What did I do to deserve this woman? She knows me better than I know myself. I truly don't deserve her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hey guys! We heard that everyone was learning how to spell their names so me and Sammy decided we wanted in too" I said coming into the kitchen with Sammy and David in tow.

"I'd be more than happy to teach you" Sue said excitedly. I couldn't help but see the look that Jack was giving her. If I didn't know any better, I would say there was something between them. I quickly took a seat on one of the bar stools surrounding the island and quickly pulled out a second and motioned for Sammy to sit with me. I really appreciate that she is trying to give us a chance after our conversation. I know that this was unnatural for her, but I figured that something that was completely unrelated to the situation at hand would be a great way to start breaking the ice.

"So let's start by learning each of the letters" Sue said as she held up her hands and began to demonstrate each letter. This was good, for all of us.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Sue began to show us how to make each letter with our hands, I actually started to think that this all felt, well…normal. Like we were all actually a family doing something totally normal together. Then again, it's not normal that we're surrounded by FBI agents but, still, more normal than the last few days have felt. I was actually enjoying learning how to sign my name. I had observed Jack signing with Sue a few times and always wondered what they were saying. Maybe I could learn some more while we were here.

We all got the hang of it pretty quickly and Neal and I even started trying to spell out other words to see if the other person could figure out what we were saying. By the end of the night we were really starting to get the hang of it and stated to move our fingers quicker as it became more comfortable. Soon, Sue, Jack and Bobby were starting to show us signs for other words. Miles was the only one who seemed annoyed with the whole thing and was more than happy to take extra turns walking the perimeter of the house.

"You guys are really good" Sue said. "Soon you'll all be experts at sign! Who knows, maybe someday you to could work for the FBI"

"I'll work for the FBI!" Neal shouted getting excited. That kid could go longer than the energizer bunny. I swear he doesn't have an off button.

"Neal, you can't go into the FBI because you can't keep a secret" Emma joked.

"I can to!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Okay, let's test it out. I'm going to tell you a secret and we'll see how long it takes for Agent Jack to learn about it"

"Why me?" Jack asked confused

"Because he likes you and you seem to have a way of getting all of us to talk. If you can get the secret of him then it proves my point" Emma explained. This would be really interesting. I also wonder what kind of secret she was planning on telling him. Obviously, it couldn't be anything too important because she was already planning on the cat being let out of the bag. Either way, my goal is now to figure out whatever this secret is.

"Well kids, I think that it's time for bed. Why don't you guys go upstairs and start getting ready for bed" Mary said looking at Emma and Neal. They seemed like they were about to argue but Mary gave them a look that quickly shut that down.

"I think you should follow suit Sammy" Jack chimed in.

"Jack…"

"He's right, you've had a long day. Nothing wrong with going and getting some extra rest, right?" Mary chimed in. Wow, she was really good at this parenting thing. I mean, I don't need a mom, I already have one. However, under the circumstances, it's kind of nice to have a motherly figure. Besides, I could use some time to decompress and think about everything that happed today. "Okay, goodnight"

"Night" came everyone's response. It was like they had planned it. I simply smirked and shook my head before heading upstairs. I brushed my teeth and then got into my pajamas before getting into my bed. I kept thinking about my conversation with Mary and how easy it was. She didn't push me to share anything or make me feel like she was prying, she simply let me be me. I mean, she asked me about what I liked to eat and if I preferred ice cream or cake. Somehow that lead to us talking about David and their family. Normally I would have immediately blocked her out and ended the conversation. What was it about his woman and Jack and brought down my defenses in a way that I couldn't with David?

Should I feel guilty that I prefer David's wife over him? I mean, it's not like David is a bad person. Everything I've seen from him has actually been good. I just don't know if I'm ready. Maybe I could open up to Jack and Mary because I know that, when push comes to shove, I'm not expecting him to be there for me. I look at them as temporary relationships that are there out of necessity. I look at David and he keeps talking about forever, I just don't know if I want that.

I'm sure it's going to take David no time to start interrogating Mary to figure out what we talked about or why I decided to rejoin the group and actually participate. If you could have seen his face when we walked down the stairs, you would have assumed he saw a ghost. The whole time we were learning the signs with Sue and the other agents, I kept catching him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. Maybe I should just confront him and get the whole thing over with. This is all so overwhelming. That's the last thought I had before sleep overcame me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning started out similar to most with the exception of all but Neal still being asleep when I entered the kitchen. He was there with Sue hanging out and going over the alphabet that he had learned the day before. "Hey Sue, Neal" I figured that, being that last night had gone so well, I could play nice this morning. I then made my way over to the coffee pot, thankful that someone had already thought ahead to make it.

"Good morning! Sammy! I'm getting really good at this!"

"Great" I mean, I'm trying but the coffee was still in my mug, he could only expect so much. I decided that I wanted to enjoy my coffee without having to pay attention to Neal and moved into the living room. Thankfully Jack and Bobby understood that I needed my space and kept watch from afar and didn't try to strike up conversation. We all seemed to be falling into a routine. I should have known that would be the time that everything would fall apart.

Suddenly we heard a crash coming from one of the agents rooms on the far wing of the house. Jack immediately jumped into action and started pulling me toward the basement safe room and Sue followed suite. I could only assume that the other agents would be escorting David, Mary and Emma to join us any minute. I didn't even have a chance to think about what has happening until we hit the bottom of the stairs and were moving toward what looked like a panic room.

"Jack!"

"It's okay, Sammy, you're safe down here"

"What is happening?!"

"I'm not sure, but we are going to take care of it, I promise" he said taking a hold of my shoulders and getting onto my level.

"What about the others?"

"We're right here! Neal!" Mary exclaimed as she ran into the room and wrapped Neal in her arms.

"Are you okay?" David asked coming up to me in a panic. He didn't touch me but I could tell that all he wanted to do was wrap me in a hug and make sure I wasn't injured for himself.

"Yea, I'm fine. You guys?"

"We're fine" David said. He sounded relieved to hear it.

"Daddy?" Emma finally spoke up. She looked as white as a sheet standing next to David. "Honey, it's going to be okay. These agents ae going to have it all under control here quickly" He said all this while looking at Jack as if he was the answer to all of life's problems. Frankly, in this situation he was.

"You're] dad's right girls, everything is going to be okay and my team will figure out what happened, and we'll be able to go back upstairs shortly, okay? David, let me have a word with you and Mary over here" We all watched as the three adults huddled over in the corner to get as far away from us as they could while Bobby and Sue herded the three of us on the other side of the bunker. I'm not a kid, I want to know what's going on. I should be allowed that much. The worst part was that David and Mary had their backs to us. Jack may be able to maintain composure, but Mary and David wore their heart on their sleeve. I took a quick calculation of my surroundings and realized that Sue and Bobby were so focused on Emma and Neal that no one was going to be paying attention to me. I decided to go ahead and try my luck and began to inch my way closer to Jack and the Nolan's.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Jack, what is going on? You said that no one knew where we were" I protested. He didn't like how vulnerable I was feeling in this moment with my wife and kids in this house like sitting ducks.

"We aren't quite sure yet. We don't even know what the noise was. My guys are out there doing a full investigation of the area surrounding us as well as every room upstairs to ensure that the house is still secure. Anything that gives us reason to think otherwise will result in a relocation"

"But we just got here. The kids are finally getting adjusted"

"Mary, we can't stay here if someone knows where the kids or you are. They will be fine" I tried to reason. I know that things were finally starting to take a turn for the better, but I couldn't let that get in the way of her or the kids safety.

"We would ultimately prefer that we not move your family as that puts you all at risk of someone seeing us leaving here or figuring out how many of you are in the house. I promise, as soon as I know something I'll let you guys know"

"Thank you, Jack. We really appreciate you and your team." Mary always knew how to smooth things over. I looked over at the kids and immediately noticed that Sammy was starting to inch her way over toward where she could hear us.

"Jack, I need you to promise me something" I said as quietly as I could.

"I can try, what's up?"

"I don't want Sammy to know what's going on."

"David…"

"Jack, she may be a legal adult, but she is still my daughter" I saw him look over my shoulder and notice the same thing I had seen moments before.

"Hey there little Sheila, I think you belong over here" came Bobby's voice from behind me. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding as I knew Bobby had to be escorting Sammy back over to where he and Sue were huddled up with the other two.

"David, I'll do my best. However, like you've already mentioned, she's an adult."

"Then why didn't you bring her over here with us?" I knew that Jack was feeling protective of Sammy as well and could possibly relate with how I was feeling.

"The same reason you're asking me to keep her out of it. I'll try and keep her out of the details as much as I can, I don't want to shake her up any more than she already is. Now I'm gonna' let you two go ahead and go over there with the kids and I'm going to go upstairs and check in with my team and see what I can figure out" and with that, things were in motion, including the tsunami of guilt that was rushing over me and making me feel like I was about to loose the contents of my stomach.

It was all because of me that we were in this situation. I put my family at risk. I caused a riff between myself and my kids and there was nothing that I could do to make it better. I always knew that being a police detective could end me in hot water but me, not my family. I never thought that my investigation into a string of violent robberies would lead to me going from the hunter to the hunted. When all of this is over, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to go back, not after everything that I've put my family through. Maybe I could get a job in the private sector in security. I could set my own hours. More importantly, the only person putting themselves in harm's way would be me and my family could rest easy knowing that I wouldn't be drumming up reason for people to come after us.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I knew I had been made when David started checking his surroundings. I tried to play it off, but I knew I was too far toward them for it to look like I wasn't spying. My suspicious were confirmed when David's volume suddenly dropped to a whisper. I was going to have to get even closer if I was going to be able to hear anything. I took one more step when I felt a strong hand wrap around my upper arm.

"Hey there little Sheila, I think you belong over here" came the Australian accent. Game over. I rolled my eyes but let Bobby lead me over to the kid table. I knew that arguing wouldn't do anything at this point. I was going to have to get more creative if I was going to get any information about what was really going on. Maybe I could ask Sue to teach me how to read lips. Then I wouldn't have to be close to them, I would just need a clear view of their faces.

This was all so frustrating! I'm a freaking adult! I should have the right to know what is going on here! Finally, they broke out of their huddle. I was going to try and talk to Jack, but he made a b-line for the stairs and was out of sign before I could get out a word. Mary was able to keep her composure and immediately started reassuring the three of us that Jack and the team had everything under control. David on the other hand wasn't as convincing. Obviously, something that Jack said was bothering him. I just wish I knew what it was.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Hold on because this one is a doozy! I know it's been a while since I've updated. I deeply miss ONCE now that it's over. However, I was a bit disappointed by the series finale. I mean I know that Eddy and Adam had more ideas and that they wanted to develop the new characters more, but, I think we all knew that with the departure of the most beloved characters, the show was going to struggle. I kinda wish that they had ended with season 6 because it was all tied up nicely and everyone had their happy endings. I just had a hard time getting into the final season. Drop me a comment and let me know if it's just me or if you agree.**

 **This chapter is very angsty and has all kinds of emotions going on. I love this story because it allows me to channel all my frustrations and emotions into something creative. I know this isn't my most popular story and that's okay. it's therapeutic for me. :) I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Alright, what do we know?" Jack asked coming up the stairs

"Well we know that we've been made. Someone was very intentional about the hit. They used a cut to break the glass and then threw a brick in for good measure. Jack, we have to move them"

"That's what I was afraid you were going to say" Jack said as he ran his hand down his face. "Have you already contacted headquarters?"

"Yep, they have a place in Maine that should suffice for what we're looking for. It's a smaller house but further away from here so the chances of anyone finding them go down drastically."

"I like it"

"Wheel's up in 4 hours"

"Let's move people" Jack instructed before heading down to the basement and briefing the family.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was getting more and more impatient as the minutes ticked by. What was taking Jack so long? I hated being left out of the details. Even more, I hate when I have no control over what is going on. As soon as I saw the door open I began to make my way toward it. I was relieved to see that it was Jack.

"Alright everyone, upstairs is clear but we don't think that it's in your best interest that we say here. We're moving everyone to a new safehouse in four hours. I need you all to go to your rooms and pack your things. Your assigned agents will escort you. Let's move" and with that he put his arm around my shoulders and started leading me up to my room.

"Jack"

"When we get to your room" He said in a whisper. I was just glad that it wasn't a no. I started walking quicker until we finally made it to my room and Jack shut the door. "What is going on Jack?"

"I already told you, the house is okay, but we want to move you and the Nolan's for safety reasons"

"Jack, stop it. I'm not a child"

"Sammy, all you need to know is that my team isn't going to let anything happen to you"

"I'm not leaving this room until you tell me what happened and why you're moving us" I was standing my ground. I wasn't going to let him treat me like I was a small child. If the Nolan's got to know what was going on, so did I.

"Sammy, I'm not going to lie to you, but I also think that sharing all the details with you is unnecessary. Will you trust me that I will tell you what you need to know?"

"Jack, I appreciate you trying to protect me, but I'm not a child. I will worry more if you only tell me the fringe details. I appreciate what you're trying to do but, I don't need to be treated with kid gloves" I could tell that Jack was still tossing around how to answer this but I also knew that I was closer to getting my way.

"Alright Sammy, I'm going to share this with you but I want something from you in return"

"Name it"

"One, you have to tell me when you feel like you know enough to trust me. I want you to feel like I trust you, but I also need you to trust me."

"Okay, done, now what's going on"

"One more thing"

"Jack"

"Hey, you play by my rules or you don't get to know at all"

"Fine, but hurry up"

"You can't tell the Nolan kids. Let David and Mary share what they want with their kids"

"Duh, now what is going on!"

"Alright, we had someone attack the house and it looks targeted. It was a message that someone knows who is here and we can't keep you here. We're flying you and the Nolan's to a small town in Maine. We're hoping it's far enough away that no one will know you or the Nolan's. The only thing is that it is a smaller safe house so we are going to have to give each other extra grace"

"Maine? Yea, nothing says out of the way like Maine. Do I still get my own room?"

"We're still working out those details but most likely you'll be sharing a room with Sue. The Nolan's may all share one large room so that we can have a command center. But I think you know enough to start packing your bags"

"Fine, I guess I wouldn't mind sharing a room with Sue. Also, I'm already packed" I said pulling my bag out from under my bed. "I never actually unpacked"

"Well, that makes things easy. Let's go down to the living room and hopefully we can get on the road" and with that, I let Jack lead me out of the room. I wouldn't tell anyone, but this was starting to get too real. Someone had actually found this safehouse and was trying to hurt us. It wasn't that being surrounded by FBI agents and being taken to a safehouse didn't make it real for me but having someone physically attack the house really brings the danger of the situation to the forefront.

Jack and I made it to the living room and realized that the Nolan's were still packing. We decided to go to the kitchen and grab a soda while we were waiting. He then had one of the other agents who was typically only in the house at night come watch me while he went into the control room to what I assume was make a call or finalize some details about this move to the next safe house. A few minutes later, the Nolan's made their way to the living room and the agents ushered us all to the garage where we loaded back into the cars that we had arrived in. I was glad that I didn't have to ride with the Nolan's being that we were all about to be on a plane together for the next few hours. I wasn't as hostile towards them as I was when we arrived a few days ago, but I still wasn't keen on spending ample amounts of time with them.

"Alright everyone, let's roll" Jack said into his radio. With a that, we were off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Not having Sammy in the car with us made me anxious. I know that she was safe with Jack, but I would feel better if she was in the car with us. Thankfully the airport wasn't too far away and should would be back with us on the plane. The longer this goes on the guiltier and guiltier I feel for putting my family in this situation. The only bright stop in all of this is Sammy, even if it wasn't the way that I wanted this to happen. One thing I am sure of, as soon as this is all over, I'm resigning my post and moving into the private sector. I can't keep putting Mary and the kids thought this.

"Dad"

"Yea buddy"

"Do we get to go on a plane?"

"Yea, we do kid. We're going to fly to our new safe house"

"That's so cool!" Neal always reminded me that there was still some innocence left in the world. That it wasn't all bad. "It is cool, you'll get to see the world from way up high."

"Will be higher than the clouds?"

"We sure will buddy"

"Are they taking Sammy to a different house?"

"No, sweetheart, she'll be there with us" Snow was always better at handling this part of the conversation. I love all my kids, but when it came to Sammy, I just didn't know how to respond to her, to Neal, to Emma, to anyone. I was still trying to get my own emotions in check.

"Then why isn't she in the car with us? Why did they put her in a different car?"

"It's just because of needing rom. We couldn't fit her and Jack in this car, so they had to get in another car. She'll be with us on the plane, okay?"

"Okay" Neal seemed down. He really was taking a liking to the other Agents and to Sammy. Then again, Neal knew no strangers. I really hoped that he wouldn't annoy Sammy too bad. Then again, if he and Emma's relationship was any indicator, Sammy would probably have her moments. His curiosity about life is something that I admire about my son, but it can also be the one thing that drives others nuts. I guess a pestering little brother comes with the territory of being the oldest sibling.

Emma was being pretty quiet. Then again, Emma and I were always more alike. We needed our space to process what we were thinking and feeling before we started communicating. She really was handling things better than she could have. As I rethink everything, she really has every right to hate me. I really did create Sammy to be this untouchable figure. I mean, every parent knows that kids aren't good all the time, but Emma was right, I did act like Sammy was the perfect child that never was. I pulled them all into my guilt and frustration and made them live out what I felt was my way of atoning for my sins. What was I thinking? What had I done? No wonder…

"David"

"Yea?"

"You need to stop"

"Stop what?"

"Stop overthinking all of this and figuring out every place that you fell short. We can't turn back time David"

"Mary"

"No David, the only thing that we can do is pick up the pieces and figure out how to move forward from here, as a family"

"Mary, I want that more than anything, I just feel like I've set us all up for failure"

"I think that you may had gotten us off to a bumpy start, but I don't think that you've set us up for failure. The only way we fail is if we don't learn from our mistakes or if we try to act like none of this has happened, which we won't. David, I love you, but you tend to swing to extremes. You made mistakes. It happens. You also can't expect everyone to jump to the other extreme and start acting like we have all been a family from day one. It will happen but we have to let it grow and develop and become, whatever it is it's going to become but we can't rush that processes."

"you're right" I kissed her hand. She is always right. "I feel so guilty. Guilty for what I'm putting us through now, what I've put you and the kids thought, what I put Sammy through"

"You gave her her best chance" Came Emma's small voice. She didn't stop staring out the window but I knew she had been paying attention to everything we were saying. "You did what you thought was best for Sammy. If thought that being with you and her mom was best, you would have done that. You gave her the opportunity to be happy"

"You're right Em, but that doesn't mean I don't still feel guilty for not reaching out when I had the chance."

"If you had, you would have thrown her world for just as much of a loop as you are now dad. There is no good time for someone to find out that their parents have been lying to them for years. There were times when I wish you had never told us about Sammy because your constant reminders of her drove me nuts. But at least I knew who my family was. She would have felt the same way wither she found out now or later. Granted, the situation wasn't exactly ideal with the FBI and all, but in a way, this is a blessing in disguise. Had she found out some other way, she may have shut you out completely. This way, you're forced to work things out"

"When did you turn 45?"

"Yesterday" Her smile made me feel like I was flying. It's an unspeakable feeling when your child becomes the teacher and shows that all the effort you put into teaching your kids how to be good people paid off. "Thank you Em. You and your mom…I don't know what I'd do without you"

"What about me?!" Neal protested

"Or you buddy! I love all of you so much! We will make it thought this, together"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I spent most of the trip to the airport lost in my own thoughts. Everything was happening so fast. I had had three heart to heart conversations with my half-sister, my would be step mom, and my new dad. Only one of those three did I technically initiate. I was not one to wear my heart on my sleeve. I would much rather stuff all my emotion inside, have one good cry every few months when it becomes too much, and then move on. My new would be family was the complete opposite of that. It was all a bit much to take in.

"Here ya go" Jack said shoving a can of soda in my face

"Thanks"

"Someone has to make sure you're getting enough fluids"

"Passing out for a few days wouldn't be so bad, a private hospital room, time away from everyone"

"Yea, not happening" Jack didn't seem as amused by my story as I was

"What Jack? Not big on hospitals?"

"No, and I also don't need you out in the open with traceable medical records"

"Couldn't you just give me a fake name?"

"Sure, I was thinking Gertrude Carmichael"

"That's nasty! That sounds like a scraggly old woman with a huge mole on her face"

"Then I think you should avoid ending up hospitalized. Drink" I just rolled my eyes. He really had a way of killing people's dreams. "You know that you should probably start addressing how you feel now before you are all on a tiny plane together"

"How am I supposed to feel Jack?"

"How do you feel?"

"Like crap! I mean, how is it supposed to feel when these people walk into your life, claim to be your family and immediately want to have intimate heart to heart conversations about it before you have even had the chance to process what just came out of their mouth?!"

"It's about time you lost it"

"You pushed me"

"I meant to. Look Sammy, I think you and I both know that it's better you have this moment with me than with them on the place or at the next safe house."

"I can't do this Jack. I can't get on a place with these people and have them continue to try and act like we have been a family our whole lives. I can't pretend that all of this is normal. I can't"

"I'm not asking you to."

"But they are! They keep calling me and Emma and Neal 'the kids'. I'm 20 freaking years old! I'm not a kid anymore! I'm not even a teenager! I'm an adult who has been living on her own for two years and I have a mom and dad and two sisters who are the only family I have ever known. I'm not their kid"

"I know…and because I know that, I'm not allowing them to keep you out of the loop."

"Really? So having me cornered off with Emma and Neal was keeping me in the loop?"

"I knew that pulling you into the conversation would mean that Emma would want in on it to. I didn't tell you in that moment, but I did come and tell you once Emma and Neal were safely away with their parents. Sometime you have to play the game"

"I'm done with this game"

"You can't be done. You have to fight. I'm not saying that this is going to be easy, but you are strong Sammy. You are going to make it through this"

"What's the point? My life is never going to be the same." Just then the car came to a stop

"We're here Jack" came the driver

"You can do this" Jack said squeezing my hand before exiting the car and gesturing for me to follow. I stepped outside of the vehicle and the cold air hit my face. That's when I lost it. I couldn't do this anymore. I snapped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I watched Jack help Sammy out of the car. She looked tired. Not just tired, defeated. I watched as the wind picked up and blew her hair about her face. That's when I saw the look on her face change. Something was wrong. I tried to get out of the car before she took off, but I was too late.

I watched as Emma started sprinting across the tarmac toward the fence that surrounded the air strip. I tried to go over her but Bobby and Miles were two steps ahead of me and pulled me toward the plane while Sue and Mary ushered the kids along. I was helpless.

"Dad?"

"It's okay guys, let's just get on the plane"

"What about Sammy?"

"She'll be joining us in just a few minutes" Sue reassured Neal as she ushered him to take a seat in one of the oversized chairs"

"Sit down mate, I promise, we'll bring her back" Bobby said as he moved me toward the chair next to Neal. I guess they figured I wouldn't fight them in front of my son. "I'd like to know how she was able to run off in the first place! I'm a grown man and somehow I made in on the plane but my 20 year old daughter slipped by?"

"I understand you're upset David, but Jack is going to keep her safe. We'll be wheel's up in 5 everyone, get strapped in"

"Hey!"

"David, I think you should use the restroom" Mary said coming over and squeezing my shoulder tightly and effectively cutting off my would-be tirade against the smug agents. I knew she was right, with everything else, the last thing the kids needed was for me to lose it in front of them. I quickly made my way to the bathroom and splashed some cold water on my face. I'm not made, I'm petrified. I Just got the chance to have Sammy in my life and I don't want to screw it up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I took off. I needed to get out of the situation and this was my chance. The minute Jack's hand left my arm I felt my legs moving. In a way, it was kind of an out of body experience, like I was watching myself run but I wasn't the one doing it. I figured that Jack and the other agents were probably yelling my name and telling me to stop but I couldn't hear them. The only thing I heard was the wind rushing in my ears as the fence around the airstrip came closer and closer into view. It was when I looked up that I noticed the barbed wire. There was no way I was going to be able to launch myself over that without doing some major damage. My brain went into hyper drive as I began to scan the surrounding area for any type of opening. 300 Meters ahead of me, I spotted it. A Car barrier that I would be able to launch myself over and finally get away from all of this.

I willed my body to move as fast as I could. The orange barriers became larger and larger as I approached. This was going to work. I was going to be able to jump over them like I did the hurdles in high school. I was almost there when all of a sudden, I was falling. I hit the ground with a thud and felt another body fall on top of me and quickly snake their arm around my midsection in a vice grip.

"Gotcha. She's secure. Get me a cart over here and get us to the plane." It was Jack. I looked up and saw the orange barriers were a mere 10 meters away. I had been so close. Suddenly I was being pulled up to a standing position as a 4-wheeler pulled up next to us. Jack pulled me over and lifted me onto the ATV before hopping on behind me with the same vice grip around my midsection as before. I knew that what I did was wrong, but I don't regret it. I don't want to get on that place and face those people again. I want out.

We pulled up to the plane in a matter of minutes. Jack quickly slipped off before taking a tight hold of my forearm and moving me onto the place and sitting me in the first chair he saw. "Let's go" he said in a low growl. He was standing in front of me with his arms crossed. I guess he was expecting some remorse or apology. He could stand there all day, it wasn't happening. I did what I did because it was the only time I have had a say in anything, I was taking back control of my life, he took that way from me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Another Chapter! I don't know what it is about this story but it is flowing. Lots of action and angst in this chapter. Jack is obviously pissed at Sammy for pulling her stunt but will Sammy apologize or will she throw more shade? Read and find out!**

* * *

Everyone started to move into position. Jack sat next to me and buckled his seatbelt but didn't say a word. Really the plane was silent outside of the normal noise of the engine. We were wheel's up faster than I thought possible. We got up to altitude and the pilot let us know it was safe to move above the cabin. It was much more spacious than any plane I had been on. If I wasn't mistaken, it looked like a private plane that you would see in the movies. Neal immediately had his seat belt off and was roaming around and exploring every space he could find. I wasn't planning on apologizing to Jack any time soon so I thought I would join Neal. I went to get up but Jack's hand immediately gripped onto my upper arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

"It's not like I can wander off the plane"

"You're sitting here next to me until this plane lands and then I'm not letting you out of my sight"

"Jack! I have to pee!"

"Then I'll walk you to the bathroom"

"YOU'RE REDICULOUS!" I screamed at him

"Jack, can I talk to you for a minute" Sue said coming up and defusing the situation. "Sue…" "Jack, she can't go anywhere. I need to speak to you in private for a minute" Jack looked at me and then back and Sue before relenting and following her to the back of the plane.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Jack, you need to calm down"

"Sue, she could have gotten herself killed"

"But she didn't. I know that she scared you Jack, but we have to remember, she's scared to, all of them are" I had to take a deep breath. Sue was right. We are all on heightened alert and it's causing us all to act out in ways that we normally wouldn't.

"You're right, but I need her to grasp the severity of what she did. She needs to know that, no matter how scared she is, she can't pull a student like that."

"You can talk to her, maybe involve David and Mary. I know that Sammy is an adult, but even adults need their parents from time to time"

"Even if those parents just walked into your life?"

"Even then. David and Mary are good parents, they can handle this. Maybe it will give them the in that they need to start building a relationship with her. Every kid wants to know that their parents care"

"You're really good at this"

"I just know that, even when my mom was hard on me, knowing that she was there for me made all the difference."

"Well then I guess it's time to give the Nolan's their chance and have a family meeting" and with that I made my way to the front of the Plane where Sammy was. Sue was right (per usual), and we needed to give the Nolan's a chance.

"David, Mary, can I talk to you both for a moment?"

"Sure. Neal, please stay with your sister" Mary instructed before she and David followed me to the back of the plane where Sue was waiting for us.

"Jack, what's going on?"

"Obviously what Sammy did was reckless and dangerous and put her in danger. We need to help her see that"

"We agree, I mean, I know Mary isn't really her mom but, you know what I mean"

"We do. We feel like, even though you are both new to Sammy, every child needs their parents when things are scary or now" Sue expounded.

"That's why we want to have a meeting with Sammy and involve the two of you. We are giving you the opportunity to step in as parents" I really hoped that we weren't making the wrong decision. I mean, I just don't know how Sammy is going to take this. Then again, She was the one who decided to run off and put us in this situation. If she didn't like it, it is just tough luck.

"We really appreciate you letting us step in and help with this. We know you don't have to do this."

"You're welcome. Hopefully, between the 4 of us, we can talk some sense into her and help her get on the same page with us so that the rest of your time with us is smoother sailing."

"Agreed, that's really all we want for her is to be able to make it through this so that we all have a chance at a normal life"

"Thank you. I think it's best that we wait until we get settled in I Main but I wanted to give you both a heads up" I was not looking forward to that moment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I kept watching Jack and Sue in the back of the plane. I knew that they were talking about me. After I blew up at Jack, how could they not be. I'm still standing my ground. I'm not apologizing to Jack. I want out. I told him in the car that I couldn't continue living like this. I saw Jack start to move back toward me and quickly spun around so he didn't see me. I expected him to take his spot next to me but instead, I heard him ask David and Mary to talk. That's when I groaned internally. I knew exactly what Jack was doing and I wasn't about to let it happen.

David and Mary were not my parents. David may be my biological father, but that was all he was to me. I wasn't about to let him or his wife have any 'parental' moments with me. What I did was my choice. If the FBI wanted to crack down on me, then whatever. Pulling David and Mary into it, I'm not a child. I was just hoping the plane would land soon so I could wall myself up in my bedroom until this nightmare was over.

Jack had gone from being like a cool older brother to an overbearing know it all agent. I guess all that crap about 'I'm here for you' and 'whatever you need, you let me know' was all just him blowing smoke because pulling David and Mary in to try and act parental was the last thing that I needed or wanted. So much for 'letting me go at my own pace'. He had another thing coming if he thought that I was going to walk into that ambush.

I kept looking back at them, when Neal stuck his face right into mine. "Hey Sammy"

"Um…hey kid. Do you need something?"

"What do you think their talking about?"

"Oh I know what their talking about"

"can you tell me? I like to know what's going on"

"Neal, I don't think that she wants to answer your questions" For once I was thankful for Emma stopping in.

"You don't like me Sammy?" of course that is how the kid would interpret it. "No Neal, I like you, it's just…" I looked at Ema for some assistance. She knew the kid better than I did.

"Neal, Sammy is just annoyed because Jack didn't let her run off" So much for the help

"Why would you do that? Those bad men who broke the house could hurt you!"

"Neal, it's…complicated"

"Why?"

"Neal, I think you've asked enough questions for one day" Mary said as she came over and gently guided Neal by the shoulders away from me. I was so busy trying to hurt Neal's feelings that I hadn't noticed Jack and the Nolan's moving toward us from where they had been cowering in the back of the plane. "Emma, why don't you move back here with Neal and I"

"That won't be necessary Mary, I have no plans of talking to either of them"

"You don't have to talk, but you will listen" Jack said coming over and taking his seat next to me. I was not about this. I wished so badly that I had my headphones so that I could drown them out.

"Will I? You're not my dad and, no offense, you're only my father by blood so, you're not my dad either. I don't have to listen to you. I'm not going to apologize for what I did so you can save your breath" I watched as both of their faces got redder and redder. I knew I had hit a nerve with both of them.

"Look Sammy, you don't have to like it here, but you will cooperate, if not for you, for everyone else here who is trying to save your sorry behind. Your attitude ends here, as do your antics"

"And, wither you like it or not, I am your father. I did what I had to do to give you your best chance. I hope someday that you'll understand that. I understand that you're an adult but frankly, you're not acting like one. Because of that, I'm going to step in and do what I have to do what I've always done, protect you"

"Now we're done having this conversation for now. We'll resume once we get to the house in Maine. Until then, you will be accompanied by myself or another agent at all times as you obviously can't be trusted"

"Jack!"

"Don't start Sammy. What you did out there was reckless and selfish."

"I just got the chance to get to know you. Please don't take that way by putting yourself in danger" Of course David would try the sentimental route. Everything in me wanted to snipe at him and tell him that I didn't care to get to know him but, there was something in me that hadn't made up my mind yet. I hadn't had the time to decide if I wanted to get to know him or not. The only thing I knew was that he wasn't my dad.

"Whatever. Are we done here?" I saw Jack and David exchange frustrated looks but ultimately decide that they weren't going to get any further at this point. Jack sunk into the seat next to me while David moved back to the seats that he and Mary occupied just a little bit further behind us. I then heard the chatter of Emma and Neal and along with the other agents. Mary and David were pretty silent. I don't think I've ever been on a longer plane ride in my life.

Eventually I ended up falling asleep. I wasn't trying but I think that all the emotions of the last few hours finally caught up with me. I didn't even realize we had landed until I woke up being carried. To my horror, it was David. We were flanked by both Miles and Jack on either side. I looked around completely confused as to how I ended up in this particular situation.

"Please don't be mad. I asked if I could carry you out. I'll let you down if you want"

"That would be preferred" As soon as David stopped moving, Jack watched as David let me walk on my won and immediately took a hold of my upper arm. I guess he wasn't kidding about the 24/7 escort. It was all just surreal waking up to all of that. We walked the short distance to the black car that was waiting for us. To my surprise, David and Miles got in the car with Jack and I.

"Aren't you going to ride with your family?" I know I was being rude but I had just woken up in the most uncomfortable way possible.

"Sammy"

"It's okay Jack. I know you don't see me as your dad, but I still love you, and I asked Jack if I could ride with you to make sure that I can help if you try and pull another student."

"I don't want him here" I turned to Jack

"Tough. The more eyes on you're the better"

"Jack! You said I could move at my pace! Now you're forcing him down my throat?"

"You're the one who forced my hand. I know that this is all a lot for you to handle but we only have so many agents and the only way to keep two agents with you is for one of the Nolan's to come with. I can at least trust David not to pull anything. I'm not the one who caused this, you are. If you can prove that you're willing to be a team player, things can change. Until then, you're stuck with us"

I wanted to lash out at Jack and scream at him and tell him that the only person responsible for this was David, that he was the reason that we were all in this mess. He was the reason that I even had to find out that I had this new family. I was only reacting like any normal human would in this situation. It's called fight or flight dang it and right now, I'm wanting to fly as far from here as I could get but they're not letting me, so now, I'm fighting back.

"You can't keep me here"

"Excuse me?"

"You can't legally keep me here. I'm over 18 and I can make my own decisions. If I choose to go at this alone and take my chances, there's nothing you can do about it"

"Sammy, please"

"No David. I didn't get ask to get pulled into any of this. Your family is your business…"

"You are my family!"

"NO I'M NOT!"

"HEY! You both need to calm down. Sammy, you're right, there is paperwork that could allow you to leave witness protection. However, that is a long and serious process and we have to make sure that you understand what you're doing. I'm not going to allow you to make this decision in the heat of the moment. Now, both of you need to sit back and take a breath. We can attempt to readdress this issue once we have all had some sleep and had some time to think things over"

With that, we had a silent car ride to the new safe house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was grateful to see the farm house we had selected come into view. It was on the outskirts of the small town and away from prying eyes but close enough that we could get the essentials and possibly let the family have some freedom to move about. However, Sammy's threat of pulling herself out of the program was weighing heavily on my mind. I had to find a way to convince her to stay. Not for David, but for her. She has no idea the reality of what we are dealing with when it comes to the people that David had crossed. They would find her and they would either take or out or try to use her to draw David out.

I am really hoping that a good night's sleep and some strong coffee will strike some sense into her and she'll realize what she said was an emotional statement and would reconsider. As soon as we stopped I let Miles get out followed by David. "Go ahead"

"I'm not getting out"

"Sammy…"

"I told you Jack, I want out"

"I understand that. However, it's not that simple and I won't be able to process the paperwork until I've gotten some sleep. Now go on inside and we'll deal with this in the morning"

"No"

"Sammy, this isn't a game"

"I know, I'm not playing. You can process your paperwork after you give me back my ID and my phone and drop me at the airport"

"Not happening" and with that I started guiding her out of the car. Miles stepped in and helped and, between the two of us, we got her in the house and into her room where she sat sulking. This was not a battle I was able to fight right now. I briefed the agents who were at the house when we arrived who were relieving those of us who had just arrived and made my way toward our quarters. I needed some sleep. This day was one of the hardest on record.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We pulled up to this old house in the country. All it needed was a barn and it would be freaking little house on the prairie. I meant what I said. I'm an adult, I can get myself out of this program anytime I want and Jack and the Nolan's can't do a thing about it. I wasn't going to be staying at this junk heap. I watched Miles and David get out when Jack said "Go ahead" he really wasn't taking me seriously.

"I'm not getting out" I needed him to know that I was standing my ground

"Sammy…"

"I told you Jack, I want out"

"I understand that. However, it's not that simple and I won't be able to process the paperwork until I've gotten some sleep. Now go on inside and we'll deal with this in the morning" Yeah right. All that meant was that he was going to try and delay the inevitable.

"No"

"Sammy, this isn't a game"

"I know, I'm not playing. You can process your paperwork after you give me back my ID and my phone and drop me at the airport"

"Not happening" I watched Jack's eyes. He wasn't taking this lying down. He then grabbed a hold of my arm and started forcing me out of the car. When he got me out of the car I was flanked by both he and Miles. I did everything I could to fight them. I knew that if I stepped in that house, my chances of trying to get out were over. Jack would try to find some loop hole to keep me here. No matter how hard I fought against them, I couldn't break free. I decided that I would do the next best thing. While still trying to fight them, I managed to twist my arm and grab ahold of Miles phone that was strapped to his belt (Who does that anymore anyway?). I was fighting so much he didn't even notice.

We finally got to a small room on the 2ndfloor and they let me go when I was sitting on the bed and then walked out. I heard Jack talking outside the door before I saw shadows of what I could only assume were two agents that were standing outside my door. I was trapped. I checked the windows but, as I assumed, they were screwed shut. I began to pace back and forth. I had to come up with a plan. I had to figure out some way to get out of here. I can't stay locked up in here till who knows when. I feel like I'm losing my mind.

I pulled out Miles phone that I had been able to lift off of his belt clip. If I could call my parents, I could convince them to come get me out of here, that the government has kidnapped me. I could go home. Miles phone probably had some sort of special software on it to keep people from tracking it. He worked for the FBI for heaven sake. I stared at the phone for what seemed like eternity debating what I should do. I knew that doing this could put both of my parents and myself ifn danger. Then again, who is to say that the people who are after me wouldn't eventually go after my parents in a last-ditch effort to get to me? If anything, it could force the FBI to take my parents into protective custody with us and then…then I wouldn't be alone…

I went to clicked the button to make the front screen light up. When the phone started to ring, it was Jack. Miles knew his phone was missing. I quickly muted the ringer but I couldn't hang up or else Jack would know someone had it. I let the call run its cause and then quickly figured out the connect the dots password and opened up the phone app. That's when I heard Jack yelling my name.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Miles and I got ready for bed rather quickly. I went to lay down in my bed when I noticed Miles throwing his bad all over the room. "What are you doing?"

"I can't find my phone"

"Then just ask me to call it" I quickly selected his name in my contacts and we waited for his annoying ringtone. Miles still used the default setting and it drove us all nuts because he always tried to answer anytime a phone on a movie or television show rang. However this time, the sound never came. The phone rang and rang and eventually the voicemail picked up. "Did you leave it in the car?"

"Must have. Or…"

"Sammy…" I immediately got up and started running toward that side of the house "SAMMY!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Hello Everyone! So sorry it has taken me so long to update but I hope that it was worth it! My job load is beginning to pick up so my time to write hasn't been that much. I also just kinda was down and had no motivation to really continue. Thankfully I'm in much better spirits and am back to writing! This chapter we finally get some Sammy/Charming time and I think you'll really appreciate where I'm looking to take this story! As always, please comment what you think as this helps me know if you're enjoying the story!**

* * *

My eyes darted around the room. I saw a few blankets up in the closet and quickly dashed across the small room to put it in between the two layers of fabric I had the sense enough to turn the phone off so that if Jack tried to call it again it wouldn't make a sound. I just needed to store it somewhere he wouldn't look. I dashed back to my bed and curled up with my back to the door just as Jack stormed in.

"Where is it Sammy?"

"What are you yelling about now?"

"I mean, where is Miles phone?!"

"I don't know where his stupid phone is. Don't you think I would have already called someone to get me out of here if I had it?"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of!" He said as he pulled out his phone and started calling Miles phone again to no avail. "Sammy, I'm giving you one last shot to give it up"

"I already told you, I don't have it. Why don't you check the dumb car?"

"Hey Jack, I checked the car, no luck" Miles said coming in out of breath

"Miles check the room" Jack said as he stared me down. I wasn't going to give it up. Miles pulled out my bag and took everything out piece by piece, shaking to see if his phone would magically fall out. He then did the same with the empty bag. Then he searched the pillows and the bed while Jack gave me a full body pat down (Yea, totally awkward). Then they searched under the bed and in the small desk that sat in the corner before finally giving up. "It's not here Jack. I must have left it on the plane"

"Are you sure?"

"There's not another explanation for it. You were right, I should have gotten rid of that belt clip a long time ago. It was bound to fall off and never be found again one of these days"

"Why don't you use my phone to contact the bureau and have them keep a look out if the phone gets used. Maybe they can find it, or at least get you a replacement" That statement made my blood run cold. I only had one shot to use that phone to my advantage before Jack finds out. Still, I had to keep up this act until I could get my SOS out.

"Excuse me, I think you owe me an apology"

"You're right, I'm sorry I accused you of taking Miles phone."

"Thank you. Now can you both get out, so I can go to sleep. The sooner we all get to sleep, the sooner I get out of here" I totally added that last bit knowing that it would strike a nerve with Jack. I watched his face turn red before he and Miles stormed out. I listened for them to make their way down the hallway and the shadow of the two sets of shoes appear back under the crack in the door before I snuck over and pulled the phone out of the closet. I had one shot to do this right.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mary and I got ready for bed in silence once we made sure Neal and Emma were settled in their room. All the events from the night were running through my head like I was watching them in slow motion. Watching Sammy dart across that tarmac was agonizing. It seemed the faster she ran, the slower Jack and the other agents got. Watching Jack finally catch up and take her down was like getting the wind knocked out of me. The worst part of it all was having to watch helplessly through the small airplane window. I caused this. I was the reason that Sammy and my family were so miserable. Even though I know Sammy didn't say it when we were in the car, she really didn't have to. I know that she and I were both thinking the same thing. I feel like a total and utter failure.

"Hey"

"Hey"

"Stop. All you're doing is running in circles. Continually beating yourself up is not helping us or Sammy"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Be her dad. Do you remember that time when Emma fell off her bike?"

"What is this? Remind David of every horrible parenting experience?"

"No, hear me out. When Emma fell of her bike when she was learning to ride, she kept trying to hold on to that moment and allow the fear to ruin an opportunity to finally learn how to ride. You eventually told her that, if she continually thought about the fall, she would never see the possibility of riding. She had to get over the mental hurdle before she could finally learn to ride"

"So what are you saying, I have a mental block?"

"Exactly. If all you do is focus on what landed us here and how horrible you feel, you're never going to be able to look beyond it and see how to help Sammy and the rest of us move past it"

"You're right…you're always right"

"I know" she said kissing him on the cheek. "Now, get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I held the phone in my hand and carefully pushed the power button. Once I saw a glimpse of the screen coming on I held my breath. It felt like eternity waiting for the screen to finally load and give me the opportunity to unlock the screen. I quickly unlocked it and typed in my parents' number. I looked at the clock on the screen, 3:45am. My parents were most definitely asleep at this point in the night. Should I wait till tomorrow? Then again, if Jack held up his end of the bargain, I wouldn't have the 2 seconds along I would need to make a call tomorrow. This was my only shot. I hit the call button and listened as the phone rang once, twice, three times, a fourth time came and went before I finally heard my mom's-tired voice say "Hello?"

"Mom?"

"Sammy?"

"Yea, it's me"

"Oh my gosh Sammy! Where have you been? Are you okay? I have been panicking and calling the police ever since your phone call. Where are you?"

"I got kidnapped by the FBI. Please come get me! We're somewhere in Maine. I stole one of the agent's phones and I only have a few more seconds before they come in here and confiscate the phone but please come find me" Then I hung up and powered down the phone right before I caught the time, 3:48am. I really hoped that by keeping my phone call short and sweet, it wouldn't give them enough time to figured out where the phone call was coming form. Then again, who was I kidding? They were going to trace the phone number I called back to my parents and immediately figure out it was me. I Just hope that I could kept the phone hidden long enough to make one more call. I placed the phone back in between the two blankets and got into bed praying that I hadn't given myself away too early.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I woke up to two missed calls from the bureau in DC. They had called at 4am and 5am prospectively. Miles and I had passed out pretty hard and obviously slept too deeply to notice the phone ringing. I immediately unlocked my phone and redialed the number.

"This is Lucy"

"Luce, this is Jack. Can you tell me what the early morning phone calls were about?"

"Yea, a phone call was made from Miles phone. It was too short of a call for us to track it's direct location, but we were able to pull the phone number that they called"

"Do I wanna know?"

"It was Sammy's mother's cell phone" I was about to lose it, that girl was going to be the end of me. "What's what I was afraid of. That girl is something else"

"You think she has the phone?"

"Oh I know she has it. Who else would call her mom's number? Thanks for the info" and with that I hung up the phone. "Miles"

"What?"

"Lucy just informed me that there was a call made from your phone last night around 4am. It called Sammy's mom. We need to go search that room again." We both rolled out of bed and slipped on our tennis shoes before making out way over to Sammy's room.

When we opened the door, Sammy was still sleeping. It was actually better this way. She already knows where we searched so she probably stashed it back in one of those places. We searched under the bed, the desk and in her bag again, trying to be quiet as we went. Still, no sign of the phone. We were just going to have to confront her.

"Sammy" I said shaking her awake

"What?"

"Sammy, I need to tell you something, can you sit up for me?" she rolled her eyes and then began to finally move. If I had to be up, so did she. "What's going on?"

"Sammy, last night someone called your mom from Miles phone"

"What?" She actually kind of looked panicked. I couldn't tell if it was because she had gotten caught or because she was actually scared for her mom. "Who was it?"

"We don't know. We do know that it had to be someone who was on the plane or near that area because that was the only time that Miles phone would have been compromised"

"Do you think that whoever is after us tried to use her?" was she really trying to pull that?

"Like I said, we don't know who did it but I have a good guess at who it was."

"Who? Shouldn't you guy send someone to protect them?"

"Sammy, I know it was you"

"Seriously?! You're doing this to me again? You know Jack, bringing my parents into this is really low, you know that? If someone is trying to use my parents to get to me that why don't you focus on that? Maybe you can actually catch someone and get us out of this!"

"Sammy?" Came David's voice from the door. I guess now was just a good of time as any to have this conversation. "Come on in David"

"What's going on?"

"Miles phone went missing last night and we can't seem to find it. However, the bureau had an alert set up if anyone used his phone and they traced one phone call going out to Sammy's mom's cell. It was too short of a call for us to track exactly where it was coming from"

"Sammy, where did you hide the phone?"

"Really? You too!? Agent know it all over here already gave me a pat down while his buddy cop searched the room. They didn't find it because it's not here!"

"Sammy, I saw Miles phone on him when we got out of the car when we arrived last night, and it suddenly goes missing when we arrive? I don't know where you hid it, but who else would call your mom?"

"Maybe the Psycho who landed us all in this situation! Maybe they are trying to use my mom to get to me"

"What's this?" Miles asked as he pulled the blankets out of the closet. As he pulled them off the shelf, his phone fell out from between them and hit the ground. All of us looked at a white-faced Sammy. "Well Miles, I hope this finally puts to rest the debate of the belt clip. Why don't you go call Lucy and let her know you found the phone while David and I deal with this" Miles walked out and shut the door behind him leaving just David and I.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sammy? What did you say to your mom last night?" I didn't consult Jack, but I just felt like this was my moment to finally be Sammy's dad.

"I'm not talking about it"

"Okay, maybe you'll answer this. What do you want to accomplish but continually putting yourself and the rest of us in danger?"

"The rest of you? I haven't done anything to your precious little family. My choices were about me and that's it"

"Really? So, making a run for it and delaying the entire flight was all about you? Did you know that your delaying our flight could have allowed whoever attacked the last safe house more time to find us? Or calling your mom, did you know that the group that is after us could be tracing her phone? Anything you told her could have compromised this safe house too. Tell me again, how it only affects you?"

"Why don't you start by telling me how your choices didn't affect everyone here?"

Mary's comment about Emma and the bike came flooding back to me, I couldn't let her push my buttons. "You know, you can continue to throw that at me, but my actions were not malicious or meant to hurt anyone. I was simply doing my job as a police officer. This person decided that they didn't appreciate me braking up their illegal activity and decided to come after me. I have no control in that. You on the other hand, have control over wither or not you put all of us in harm's way."

"Send me home Jack" she was a stubborn one. But I knew that Jack and I were on the same page so she could talk to whomever she wanted, she was going to get the same answer.

"Alright, I can send you home. It's about a week's worth of paperwork before I can release you. However, once that's done, then come the charges"

"What are you talking about?" That's when I saw Sammy's emotions finally begin to kick in. At this point she had been totally callus to everything we had been saying.

"Theft of government property, endangering the life of an agent, tampering with a witness, and anything else I can come up with. You'll go from here to a holding cell till you can be processed or post bail."

"You wouldn't"

"Try me."

"Sammy" I took a chance and placed my hand on her knee, "Please stop and think about this. Any charges that are filed against you will be on your permanent record. You're also putting yourself and your parents in danger. Someone already knows that you've been taken into custody with us. It won't take long for them to figure out that you're a walking target once you manage to post bail"

"David's right. I don't want to charge you with any of this Sammy, I'm only doing this to protect you!"

"I DON'T NEED PROTECTING!" her shouting rang off the wood paneled walls before leaving all three of us in silence. I let it linger for a while. I think we all needed the moment to take a deep breath and center ourselves, gather our thoughts. I could tell that Sammy was holding in her emotions and not wanting to break in front of us. I just needed to help her get past her mental hurdle.

"Sammy…why do you feel like you have to be the strong one?"

"What do you think? You have your perfect little family here. Sure, you got uprooted from your home but at least you have each other. I, on the other hand, was dragged out of my home without the chance to tell my parents goodbye or where I was going."

"You're right. It's not fair. Mary and me, and Emma, and Neal. We do have each other. However, we were in the same position as you. We had to be taken from our home in the dead of night, with no warning as to when we would be back. We couldn't tell our friends or our parents either. Emma and Neal were ripped out of the only home they have ever know and told that they can no longer see their friends or attend school until who knows when. This hasn't been easy on anyone"

"I'm not going to feel bad for you if that's what you're looking for. Your family knew what they were signing up for when you decided to be an officer. I didn't even know I was adopted till a few days ago!"

"So, what's what this is about, being adopted." I let her breath for a moment. I think we were finally getting to the root of the issue. "Sammy, I can't even imagine what you're going through emotionally finding all of this out. But the more you wall yourself up and act like you don't need any of us, the worse you are going to make this for yourself. I know you just met me and that you have no reason to trust me. But I promise you, I love you more than I could ever express. I want to be there for you…I'm going to be there for you…wither you like it or not"

I watched as her tough outer shell began to melt. The emotions were all starting to come in a tsunami size wave and there was no stopping it. Before I knew what was happening, Sammy threw herself into my arms and began to sob. I immediately cradled her head in my hand and ran my hand up and down her back to try and comfort her. I felt Jack give me a pat on the shoulder to let me know that he was going to step out and give us a minute. This is all I had ever wanted, to be able to hold my daughter in my arms again, I just wish that it was under better circumstances.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I laid there in David…my dad's…arms for what seemed like hours just letting him hold me. This man who I had been fighting so hard to push away constantly had never let that deter him from continually trying to break me down and make his way inside. I don't know how he was able to break me down like he did, getting to the root of what I was fueling all of this, my adoption. All of this boiled down to the shock of finding out I'm not who I thought I was. I wasn't Samantha Bird, I was…well I don't even know. Was Samantha the name that he and my mother had given me? Would my last name have been Nolan or my mother's last name of Batey? I was feeling so lost in all of this and then to not feel like I had a safe place to processes it all was just too much.

"Sammy" David's voice broke me out of my train of thought. I was tempted to just continue to lay there and pretend like I was asleep but I knew that he could tell from my breathing and my movements that I was still very much awake. I pulled myself up so that I could wipe the now dried tears from my face. David put a hand on my face and brushed his thumb over my cheek. "How are you feeling"

"Better" I chuckled. It was still slightly uncomfortable having this close proximity to David after that emotional moment.

"Good. I mean what I said Sammy, I'm not going anywhere." We sat there for a few moments, with his hand still on my cheek forcing me to make eye contact. "I know"

"I don't think you do, but I'm going to keep reminding you until I know you believe it. This isn't easy on any of us, but we can get through this together"

"Thanks David'

"Any time. Now, I do need to ask you one more question"

"Can it wait?"

"Unfortunately, no"

"David" came Jack's voice from the door

"Come on in" Jack had a smile on his face seeing that things had calmed down a bit since he had left the room a few moments ago. "I'm glad you are feeling better Sammy"

"Thanks"

"Sammy," David's voice reminded me of where we were before Jack interrupted

"Yea?"

"We need to know what you said to your parents" David said in a gentle voice. I could tell that he was trying to keep things civil between us but also didn't want to set me off. His hand on my shoulder kept me grounded. I know that what I said was going to have a ripple effect that I had no control over. Honestly, I was surprised that my parents hadn't already called the FBI and it hadn't gotten back to Jack and his team.

"Um…I might have told them that I was kidnapped by the FBI?" I winced as the words left my mouth and stared at my knees to avoid eye contact with either man. I could hear Jack let out an exasperated sigh while I felt David squeeze my shoulder. "I'm sorry" I mumbled. I really did feel bad. I was desperate to get out of here and didn't know what else to do.

"We'll need to do some damage control" Jack said as I heard him get up and start to walk up.

"Jack, I think it would help Sammy's parents to see her. Is there a way that we could let them video conference without giving away our location?" I was honestly shocked. Never in a million years did I think that David would advocate for me to be able to talk to my parents.

"Let me see what I can do" My eyes immediately shot up and looked at Jack and then at David. Where they serious? I was going to get to talk to my parents? Jack walked out, and I flung my arms around David's neck again. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Of course. I know that being able to see any of my kids safe helps to put me at ease. I can only imagine how worried your parents are after a panicked phone call saying you were kidnapped" There was that dad look again. I shut a little at that knowing that I had royally screwed up this time.

"Yea, I know…not my best move"

"Yea…no kidding." He said with his own chuckle this time as he stood up and stretched. What do you say we head out to the kitchen and grab something to eat and get you some water, all that crying probably left you dehydrated." Of course, he had to start in with the lame dad jokes. I just rolled my eyes and let him lead me out of my room. Maybe we could have a relationship after all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **This chapter** **practically wrote it's self. Another great Daddy/Daughter moment between Sammy and David and some unexpected emotions. Please read and review! Enjoy!**

* * *

We made our way out to the kitchen and found Mary and the others eating breakfast. "Well hey there you two! About time you decided to join us for breakfast" Mary said jokingly as she placed a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of each of us.

"Well you know, some people take a longer time to wake up then others" David joked back while elbowing me. I definitely got the double meaning and rolled my eyes before digging into my breakfast. We had a nice talk between all of us to the point where it almost felt…normal. Emma and I defiantly had some work to do but, ever since our big blow out at the last safe house we were able to be civil with one another. Neal continued to show all of us the new signs he had learned from Sue. He was actually getting pretty good at it. I guess we really were turning into a family.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I wasn't going to lie and say that I wasn't upset with Sammy. Right after our conversation I got a call from the bureau that her parents had already called and were demanding answers. This girl was going to be screw this whole thing up. If she hadn't grown on me, I would have been more than happy to let her go ahead and leave. There was something about her that I couldn't shake. I cared about her like I would my own family. This family as a whole was different than any other assignment. I felt closer to them. After talking to the higher ups, I was able to arrange for the Bird's to be brought to their local FBI office, so we could set up a secured video link for them to talk to Sammy. They had also shared a bare minimum detail to let them know that their daughter had not been kidnapped as they were threatening to press charges.

The birds know that Sammy is safe, that she hasn't broken the law, and that the call they received was due to a miscommunication between Sammy and the FBI and that she was being held in a undisclosed location for her own safety. Sammy had conveniently left out that she had told them she was in Maine so we had to lie to them and tell them that she was unaware of her location at this time for her own safety. This child was going to give me a gray hair before this was over.

The other important details we just received were that God and his men had been spotted a few days ago in Virginia, about two hours outside of DC and were under surveillance. Maybe we would be able to get this family home sooner than later after all. Bringing the Nolan's back to Maine was a risk, but we were still a good 3 hours away from where they currently lived, and this town was on very few maps it was so small. Obviously, it was working.

I pulled at the agents into the makeshift command center we were able to make in the cellar just outside the farm house and explained all of this to them. We were finally making headway.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Having my family all together around a table was more than I could have ever asked for. After this morning, Sammy seemed much more at ease with me and my family. It was a relief to see her high walls finally begin to fall down and allow us in. I feel like we have taken a turn for the better.

Jack and I would still need to keep a close eye on her to ensure that she wasn't just doing this whole thing to pull the wool over our eyes. I really hope that my advocating for her to have a chance to talk to her parents would help smooth things over and give us some more time. Ultimately, I'm hoping she'll change her mind about wanting to leave. I couldn't live knowing that Gold and his men are still out there and she's a sitting duck.

"David, Sammy, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jack said coming into the kitchen. I guided Sammy toward the small bedroom that we had been in just earlier and we both sat on the bed. I really hoped there was nothing wrong.

"Alright Sammy. I managed to work with my bosses at the bureau and we are going to have a secured video conference with your parents here shortly" I saw Sammy's face light up for the first time since all this madness started. "However," Here came the other shoe "We have something we need to address." Jack seemed pretty pissed at Sammy. I'm beginning to realize that she must have said more to her parents on the phone then she led on. "Sammy, what were you thinking!? You told your parents that you were in Maine?! You could have compromised this whole mission and gotten us all killed!"

"You did what?" Okay, I'm pissed now to.

"In my defense, you shouldn't have told me where we were going if you wanted it to stay a secret"

"Sammy, I'd shut up if I were you" Jack snapped "You are on thin ice. Now, David and I will be on the other side of the camera and have the power to mute you at any point. Watch yourself or I'll end the feed. I want to do this for you, but you are on your last strike"

"Jack"

"David, This is serious. We already had to lie to her parents and tell them that the information they received was a miscommunication between Sammy and the authorities and that we weren't in Maine and had to lie to them again and tell them that we purposefully told her the wrong place, so she didn't tell anyone! If that phone was tapped, we would have been screwed!"

"I get it Jack but…"

"Okay! Stop! I promise…I'll behave…just…let me talk to my parents…please." It was the first time that Sammy had shown any kind of remorse for what she'd done.

"Alright, David, join me back here behind the camera while I hook up Emma's mic" Jack instructed as he got to work getting the video conference ready.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I really felt guilty. I knew what I did was wrong, putting everyone in danger. I could have gotten us all killed, honestly. Then again, I was desperate. I was having a mental breakdown in the moment and couldn't see another way out. I've always looked to my parents for help, for my safety. I've never kept anything from them. This video conference was about to be the hardest thing I've ever done, to have to lie to them…I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to be able to do this. In a way, I'm glad that Jack can cut the feed if I end up falling apart.

"Emma, here is your script" Jack said handing me a typed-out piece of paper. I read it over and it had all the lies that my parents had been fed by the FBI about how I was being held in an undisclosed location for my own good and that I had made up the fact that I was in Maine in my state of confusion between what was reality and what was being communicated to me. I was to tell my parents that I was fine, that I'm safe, and apologize for causing them to worry. I could do that part but lying to them…that was going to be hard.

"Sammy" The strong voice pulled me out of my own thoughts and I looked up to see David's smiling face behind the camera "You can do this. Remember, I'm here for you"

"Thanks David"

"Alright Sammy, I just got word that your parents are ready. You'll be able to see them on this screen here right below the camera. Are you ready?"

"Yea…Lets do this" I took a deep breath and watched as the once black screen turned white with two figures I loved more than anyone in the world appeared

"Mom! Dad! Oh my gosh, I'm so happy to see you!"

"Sammy! Are you okay? Where are you? We were told you were taken into custody by the FBI? What is going on?" My mom was panicked. I could see my dad trying to calm her down, but it wasn't working.

"Mom, I know, I'm sorry I scared you. I'm fine, really. I don't know where I am but I'm safe. I promise. I got scared when I didn't understand what was going on"

"Sammy, how did you find out about your…your…" I watched my mom start to break down as all the lies from the past 20 years came crumbling down. My dad wrapped his arms around my mom as the tears began to flow. I couldn't help but allow my own tears to flow as well. This hurt more than I had thought it would. All of the anger and the frustration that I had felt when Jack and Sue and David had shown up at my door came flooding back.

"Why did you lie to me?" I had to know.

"Honey, we honestly never found the right time. We have never thought of you as anything but ours. There were random times when you had medical appointments and they would ask about family history that we would realize we would have to pull your file to figure out, but other than that, there was never a reason to tell you. We didn't want to complicate your life" My dad explained.

"Dad…how can you say that?"

"Sweetheart…I'm sorry. If I could take it back, I would. I would have told you from the beginning and allowed you to ask all the questions you wanted. Your mother and I feel terrible that you had to find out from someone other than us"

I was beginning to get mad. I didn't understand why they didn't tell me. None of this made sense. The longer the silence lingered, the more I began to question when finally my mom's voice brought me back to reality.

"Sammy, it was me. I didn't ever want you to feel different. You looked so much like me that you never questioned it. I just wanted you to grow up with a normal childhood. I was scared that, if you found out you had another family, you wouldn't want to be a part of ours anymore" My mom finally spoke up through the tears. A new wave of understanding quickly doused out the anger that had been welling up. It made so much sense now knowing both sides. Because I had already had a chance to bond with David and Sandie, I could see why my parents would think that I would reject them.

"I forgive you. You did what you thought was best, to give me my best chance" I said looking past the camera at David who had tears welling up in his own eyes.

"Sammy, please know that we are so sorry. But this doesn't change anything. You're still out little girl"

"I know. I love you both so much"

"Sammy, when are you coming home?" My dad pleaded.

"I don't know. As soon as the FBI can get some things sorted out I promise I'll come for a visit"

"What happened that got you here in the first place?" My mom demanded. I could tell that she was on edge about the whole situation.

"Um…it's kind of a long story"

"Sammy…" I could see the lights in my mom's eyes begin to come on. My mom was smart. She was someone who could write crime shows because she can tell you who the killer is before they have even given you the first clue and ruin the whole show. She was starting to piece together my finding out I'm adopted matching up with the timeline of this whole FBI fiasco. I began to sweat.

"Yea mom"

"How did you know?"

"Know what?" I was trying to play dumb. This was killing me.

"You found them didn't you" She pressed me

"Sammy" Jack said from behind the camera. "Your mic is off, but you can't tell them you found the Nolan's. You need to tell them that you pulled your medical records when you switched doctors and they brought it up" I nodded in response. That was pretty feasible. I had just moved to the DC/Virginia area a few months ago.

"Okay"

"Alright mic back on in 3-2…"

"Sammy?"

"Sorry mom. I found out because I had to order a copy of my medical records for my new doctor here. I decided to read through it to make sure I could answer all their questions when I saw the note about being adopted" I was praying my mom would buy it.

"Sammy…" My mom wasn't buying it. She should see the unease in my face as I kept looking past the camera to Jack and David.

"Mom, I know you feel bad but, it's okay. I forgive you. We can only move forward from here" I was hoping that my continued reassurance of my forgiveness of them would make my mom drop the topic.

"Thank you, Angel. I know this can't be easy for you, finding all this out on top of whatever this is but, I promise you that we will never lie to you again" My dad chimed in.

"Thanks daddy. I love you"

"We love you" That's when Jack gave me the signal to wrap it up. "I have to go now but I love you both and I promise that I'll come visit as soon as I can"

"No Sammy! We just got to see you"

"I'm sorry, I can't…" and then the video feed cut out. "Jack!"

"It wasn't me, it was the other office. Your parents are going to be briefed to try and ease their worries but your mom's a smart cookie. She is starting to put two and two together and that's not good for anyone involved."

I was crushed. I had finally gotten a chance to talk to them and not only did I have to lie, but I had to have the whole conversation cut short. Seeing them was amazing but, it hurt so much at the same time.

"You did good Samantha" Jack hadn't called me that since we were sitting in my living room. "We'll make sure that their taken care of"

David then moved around from behind the camera to sit on the bed next to me "Not now David…I need some time" with that I walked out of my room and into the small bathroom down the hall and locked myself in.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

2 steps forward, 1 step back. That video conference call had basically undid all that Sammy and I had accomplished this morning. Her walls were shot up higher than ever before.

"David, she'll bounce back"

"Yea? How long from now? We had made progress by leaps and bounds this morning. This video chat has set us back to day one"

"Except now she knows that you care. She didn't know that before"

"Jack, no offense but, she doesn't. She thinks she does but the minute something goes wrong, she reverts. It's hasn't sunk in yet"

"It will. Sammy's a strong girl, she'll come back around and you'll all get through this" I wasn't in the mood to continue the conversation, so I made my way back out to the living room where Mary and the kids were playing.

"Didn't go well?"

"That's the understatement of the year" I said running my hand down my face.

"What happened?"

"Her parents freaked her out. Her mom started realizing that, Sammy's finding out she was adopted coincided with the FBI taking her into custody and they cut the feed so that the bureau can run damage control"

"David, I know what a mom on a mission looks like. Of course, she is going to start piecing those little things together because she notices the details. However, she is going to compromise his whole thing!"

"Don't worry lass. We've got in under control. If need be, we'll take her parents into custody as well. We won't let a little set back like this compromise our opportunity to take those jerks down" Bobby pipped up from his spot in the corner of the room.

"Let's just add insult to injury" I mumbled under by breath. The last thing Sammy needed was another pile of guilt dumped on her that, not only had she revealed a deep dark family secret, but she also caused her parents to get taken into protective custody.

"Bobby, can we keep that fact to ourselves? Emma doesn't need that"

"Of course mate. I just mean, we're not going to let anything happen to you lot" but something had happened to us. We were losing Sammy all over again.

"Hey" Mary said running her hand through my hair. "She's just needing some time to process all this. When she's ready, she'll come back around"

"Mom's right dad" Emma piped up from her spot on the floor where she was playing a card game with Neal. "Sammy is having to deal with all the emotions she processed with you with her other family. She just needs time"

"Other family?" I said with a smirk. I think Emma was even beginning to come around to the idea of Sammy being a part of our family. "I mean…whatever" that made me chuckle. "Mary, how did we end up with such a wise and caring daughter?" I watched Emma's cheeks turn red. "I love you princess"

"Dad!" Her protest of the nick name just made me laugh all the harder.

"Daddy?"

"Yea, Neal?"

"Do we get to meet Sammy's other family if they take her into pro-tec-tiv…"

"Protective Custody?"

"Yea! That!" His innocence was a reminder that there was still good in the world. "I'm not sure buddy. Maybe once this is all over we can meet them someday"

"Like you used to tell us about Sammy?"

"Something like that" I really did hope to someday meet Sammy's parents. I mean, Sandie and I had met them when we chose them to adopt Sammy, but we never got to know one another. I'd love to be able to see pictures of her growing up, maybe watch a few home movies to try and gain back some of what I had lost. Of course, I'd want to make sure it was all okay with Sammy. After all of this, I'm not sure if she'll want to allow that meeting to happen. I felt Mary continue to play with my hair and I let her presence comfort me while we watched over the two kids. However, Sammy wasn't far from my mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I let my back slide down the door as the tears began to flow. What had I done? I know my mom better than anyone else on the planet. She knows I found David and that he has something to do this this. I'm sure she thinks that Sandie is here to but that would be the only thing she has wrong about. I hate this. I hate that I had to lie to them and now the FBI was going to tell them more lies. All to try and keep us safe? If we have to keep telling more lies to cover up the first lie, when does it stop? I did this. I was the one who was stupid and stole Miles phone. I was the one who called them when Jack and Sue and David showed up at my door. If I had kept my head on straight, I never would have involved them.

On the other hand…I was scared. You run to your parents when you're scared. I didn't know how to handle this so I reached out to the one person in the world who always knows what to say, my mom. I know they say that hind sight is 20/20 and in this case, it couldn't be more true. Had I known then what I know now, I never would have involved them. It's all my fault.

I felt my head begin to slide down the door. What was happening?

"Sammy?" Was that David? How did he get in here? I locked the door.

"Sammy" I felt him cradle my head in his hands and gently set it on his leg. I could only assume that he was now sitting on the floor next to me. He began stroking my hair. Part of me wanted to pull away from him. We weren't this close. Then again, after everything that had gone on, I craved the physical connection with someone. "You scared me there for a minute…we had to get a tool kit to take the door knob off…I'm glad you were just asleep"

"Sorry"

"It's okay. I was more worried about you" his voice was so steadying and calming. I think I'm finally starting to believe that he cares.

"I'm sorry"

"What do you have to be sorry for?"

"For calling my parents…this is all my fault"

"Sammy…you were scared. We don't always think about the consequences in that moment"

"But if I had…my parents…" the tears were trying to break through the barrier, but I really wasn't ready to have another cry session after just waking up from one.

"Your parents are just worried…it's what we do. If you hadn't called them, I'm sure they would be even more worried than they are now. Now they know you're safe and taken care of. That's all a parent wants for their child during times of uncertainty."

"Is that why you never reached out?" we sat in a comfortable silence with my head still resting on his leg while he stroked my head gently.

"Yes…I knew your parents were going to take amazing care of you, that you would have everything I could never give you. I couldn't take that away from you" I allowed that to sink in. I wondered what I would do if it were me. Would I be so selfless enough to give up my child knowing that someone else could provide for them in a way that I couldn't? Would I be willing to put what I wanted aside for them? David did it…he gave up his chance to see me grow up, to ever know me, because he loved me more than he loved himself…he still does.

"David…I…I want to let you in…I do…I just…I'm still trying to process all of this."

"I know, and that's okay. I told you. I'm here for you, as long as it takes"

"But I need you to know something" That's when I sat up and made eye contact with my father for the first time. "I know you love me…I mean it…you gave up everything so that I could have the best life possible. I honestly don't know if I would do the same thing if I were in your shoes all those years ago" David pulled me into his arms and held my head against his shoulder as he cradled it. I could feel his tears begin to fall into my hair.

"Thank you"

"I should be the one thanking you" I chucked, still being held by my dad….my dad…

"well, we can thank each other" he chuckled back. He finally released me from his grip and used the pad of thumb to wipe away a few stray tears on my face that I hadn't even known were there. "I love you Sammy, with all my heart."

"I know…truly…" I was gonna say it…it was right on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn't do it…I wasn't quite there. I also didn't want it to be during an emotional moment like this, I wanted it to be natural.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure"

"Are you…are you still planning to leave?"

"well, I'm not exactly keen on getting charged with a felony so I don't think I have a choice" I joked. I honestly hadn't thought about it since our conversation earlier…today? I didn't even know what time it was.

"Good choice!" he laughed "Wanna go get some dinner?"

"It's that late?"

"Yea…we wanted to give you some time but, when you hadn't come out for four hours, I made them open the door" He said shyly.

"Well it's probably good you did…otherwise I would have an even more sore neck then I do now" I said reaching up and rubbing the sore spot at the back of my neck.

"That's what I figured…come on, you need some food" He said getting up on his feet and then helping me to do the same. I felt like a baby giraffe as it took me a minute to get my feet under me. Thankfully David was there to catch me as I wobbled and easily pulled me up to lean on him. I wasn't sure how I felt about all this physical affection, but I didn't hate it. After a minute the feeling finally came back to my legs and I was able to walk. David still kept his arm around my shoulders and led me out to the living room and into the kitchen where everyone seemed to be waiting for us.


	11. Chapter 11

**Emotional Chapter Ahead! I haven't fully decided how I'm going to play this so please let me know what you would prefer (you'll understand when you get to the end). I know it's been a while since I wrote. I just haven't been feeling motivated. This chapter just flowed out so hopefully you'll enjoy it.**

 **Chapter 11**

I was a bit taken aback when I walked in to all eyes on us. The only thing that made me feel better was feeling David squeeze my shoulder to try and reassure me that I wasn't going to take this on alone. "What's going on?" I heard David ask.

"We need to talk to Sammy" Jack said coming up and gently taking a hold of my arm and leading me away from the rest of the group and toward the room that they were using as their central hub.

"Jack?"

"Samantha…"

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Sam…"

"No Jack…just…shot straight. What is going on?"

"I'm so sorry"

"Jack just cut the crap and tell me already!" I screamed.

"We're taking your parents into custody" That hit me like a ton of bricks. This was all my fault. I had to own that and it hurt like heck. I couldn't understand why I couldn't have just kept my head down and beard through this and kept my cool. Why did I have to be so pig headed?! "Sammy" Jack's voice broke me out of my own head. "Sammy, there's something else"

"What? It can't be any worse that finding out that I put my parents in this situation"

"First, I want you to know that we never wanted to do this. Your mom is just too good at figuring things out and we couldn't risk her coming to find you or worse, using the media to make a scene."

"I know…I know it's my fault"

"You're right…but I also know that your mom is one smart cookie. Even if you hadn't of called her, she would have eventually started making noise and made this difficult for all of us. I see where you get it"

"This is not a time for jokes Jack. I know that this isn't going to go well for my parents because I know them. They aren't going to take this laying down. They are going to want me with them"

"That's why I pulled you in here. We know your parents are requesting that you be brought to them but we are telling them no. Right now, after our last safehouse having been compromised, it doesn't feel like it's safe to move you yet. However, if you want, I'll make arrangements for you to be transported there"

"Oh…"

"I know you have been talking about how alone you feel here with the Nolan's all having each other and I want to give you that same option. You'll be able to be with your family and you can leave the issues you've had with the Nolan's behind you and just ride the rest of this out in a less hostile environment."

I wasn't sure if I was able to even process the words that were coming out of Jack's mouth. Being with my parents? I could do that? I know I had only been in this situation for about a week now but I already missed them so much. My mom and I used to talk every day on my drive home from work and my dad would randomly send me text messages that would make no sense to anyone except us but they meant the world. Being with them…I could put this whole situation with David and his family behind me. I mean, sure, he'd try to find me when all was said and done, but I could be back in control.

What was I saying? I had finally started to have break through with him. If I leave now, I'm going to have to start all over…if David would even want that. If I leave now then it's going to be like throwing all of the progress that we've made in his face. He and Mary have done nothing but try and make me feel comfortable here and I have been horrible to them.

"Jack…you can't honestly expect me to make that choice"

"Sammy, I know that you feel torn, but I couldn't have the option available and not tell you about it. Remember, I promised to be honest with you?"

"I know…and I appreciate that…I just don't know if I can make that choice. Not after everything that has happened in the last 24 hours"

"I can give you another 24 to figure it out. After that, you stick it out here until this whole thing is over"

"Are you going to tell David?"

"Do you want me to?" That was a good question. I knew that David would want me to stay but he would also be the one to tell me to go be with my parents and that we would see each other when this was over. I don't know that he would even tell Jack how he really felt, even though we all know that he would prefer that I stay here. What parent wouldn't? Did I just think that? I mean…yea…he's my parent. He wants what's best for me. I just wish I knew what that was in this moment. Maybe it was my turn to be the bigger person and approach him.

"I'll do it"

"Are you sure?"

"No…but I know that, if I want to continue the trajectory that we're on, it's my turn to be the adult"

"I think that's really mature of you. Miles, bring David up here" Jack radioed down to the other agent. This was going to be my moment of truth.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I kept looking toward the door that I knew Jack and Sammy were behind. I knew that there was something that they weren't telling us and it was killing me. What if they processed her paperwork to leave? I would hope Jack would have stopped that from even being initiated. What if her parents got hurt? She needs someone to be there for her. _I_ wanted to be there for her. It felt like an eternity as I picked at the food on my plate, getting more and more anxious as the time passed when Miles came up to me and quietly motioned for me to follow him. This was it. I opened the door to see a white face Sammy sitting on the bed with Jack bent over to eye level in a chair in front of her. He motioned for me to sit down on the bed next to Sammy. I immediately moved my hand to Sammy's back to try and comfort her and was actually a little surprised when she didn't pull away. I looked a Jack for some sort of hint or for him to say something but he just kept looking at Sammy.

"Hey Sammy…what's going on?"

"um…I…"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…"

"No…I asked for them to bring you up here…I want to tell you" That made my heart melt. She asked for me? Maybe we were moving faster than even I thought if she felt comfortable enough for that.

"Okay…but you can take your time…I'm in no rush"

"I know…I'm…I…" I heard her trying to cover up the tears and moving her hair in front of her face but I knew, whatever she was trying to tell me was not going to be easy for either of us. "It's okay…Samantha…"

"My parents…they took them into custody…"

"Oh honey…I'm so sorry"

"It's not that, I mean…it is that. It's just…"

"Sammy…it's not your fault"

"No, it is. It's all my fault. If I had just used my head, my parents wouldn't have been taken into custody because they wouldn't know I was taken into custody and I wouldn't be having this conversation with you."

"What do you mean?"

"I…Jack, I can't" I immediately look to Jack who, surprisingly, had been quiet this entire time. I continued to rub small circles into Sammy's back to try and comfort her as she tried to pull herself together. I was starting to feel nauseous…I knew what Jack was about to say and I knew that I was going to have to put my own feelings aside and do what's best for my daughter.

"David, due to the fact that Sammy's parents are being taken into custody, we are offering her the option to stay here, or be transferred to her parents location. She has 24 hours to make her decision"

"Okay…Sammy, what do you want?" I knew that that's what it had to come down to, what she wanted. My inner self was screaming to have her stay here. I didn't want her out of my sight. I had finally gotten a chance to know my daughter and now they were giving her a chance to run? She was already on the fence about all of this as it was, there was no way that she wasn't going to take the opportunity and be out of his life forever.

"I don't know" her broken words brought me back.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…I don't know. The obvious answer would be to grab my bag and run…"

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm still a little surprised you're here"

"Me to" She said with small chuckle.

"Well, what's hold you back"

"Honestly?...you are"

"Me?"

"David…we were just starting to figure out...whatever _this_ is. If I leave now…I don't know what will happen."

"I do" The look on her face was one of total shock. "Samantha…I know that this whole situation is, unorthodox. However, I do know that there is no version of this story where you aren't in my life in some way, shape, or form. Obviously, it will be on your terms, but I'm not going to give up on having some type of relationship with you. I also understand that developing that friendship under these circumstances is not ideal. I also understand that, under the circumstances, I wouldn't blame you one bit for choosing to go be with your parents. All of this is a lot to wrap your head around and these times are when we need our family the most."

"You're my family too"

"I know sweetie…I know. But you didn't know that I was your family until a week ago. Your parents…they are the only family you really know."

"So, you want me to go?"

"I want you to do what you want"

"That's not what I asked you"

"But it doesn't matter what I want…this is up to you Sammy…you have to be the one to make this decision. If I put my two cents in, it will sway your decision. I don't want you to hold that against me if you come to regret your decision later."

"I…"

"Samantha, David's right. You have to be the one to make the final call on this. I think you know how both David and I feel but that isn't relevant to this situation" Jack said helping to end the circles that we were about to head into.

"I don't know if I can"

"I know you can" I finally took her face into my hands. "You are strong Samantha. There isn't a wrong answer here so whatever you choose, you're going to be okay" I used the pad of my thumb to wipe away a stray tear that was running down her face. She looked so young with her big eyes looking up at me. She looked so lost and confused. I wanted so desperately to flip the scrip and big her to stay, but I knew I couldn't manipulate her that way. I let go of her face and she wrapped her arms around me. I cradled her head in my hand and looked up at Jack. He looked about as lost as I did.

"Sammy, I'm gonna give you two a few minutes. But please be thinking about your decision as we need to start making arrangements if we are going to move you to the new location" and with that Jack stepped out.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I allowed David to continue to comfort me. I was really hoping that he would do the exact opposite of what he did and ask me to stay. I wanted him to tell me that he didn't want me to leave and this whole decision would be a lot less complicated. But he didn't. He did what I knew he would do and let me make this decision on my own. I couldn't hold that against him but I also kind of hated him for it because I wanted him to want me to stay. I wanted him to want me.

"David?"

"Yea?"

"Do you want me to stay?"

"Sammy…"

"I need to know David. I promise that I won't hold it against you if I end up hating whatever decision I make, but I have to know"

"Of course I want you to stay Sammy" He helped me sit up so we could see each other's face. "If you want 100% honesty, I wish I could tell you that you couldn't leave. I just got you back in my life. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not afraid that you're going to leave, and it will be the last time I ever see you again. But Sammy, I can't put that on you. I know that being with your parents is what you really want. I just hope that you will allow me a second chance when this is all said and done."

"Thank you"

"For what"

"For being honest…I just needed to know where you stood" It didn't make the decision any easier, but at least I knew he wanted me.

"Of course…" we sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes with David slowly rubbing circles in my back. I think it was as comforting to him as it was to me. I still didn't know what I was going to do. I knew that Jack and David wanted me to stay and that my parents wanted me to come to them, I just didn't know what I wanted. I never do what I want, I always do what everyone else wants, to make them happy. No one asks me to, I just do it because I don't ever want to make anyone upset with me. I felt like I was in a catch 22 situation. If I stay, my parents will be mad, especially if they find out that I had a choice to be with them. Then on the other hand, Jack and David would be mad if I left.

"Would you mind giving me a few minutes?"

"Of course. I'm here if you need me" He then pulled me in and kissed the side of my head before leaving. I wasn't sure how I felt about all the physical touch that had happened in these last few minutes, but it was comforting. I then pulled out my journal and ripped out a piece of paper and started making a pro's and con's list of staying here. I needed one to out weight the other.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I walked out of the small room and made my way to the couch where I plopped down and put my head in my hands. I was feeling like I was on the edge of breaking down. I couldn't lose her, not now. I just got a chance to know my daughter and now she was about to be taken away and I had no say. Then I put myself in her parents' shoes…if Emma or Neal were given the option, I would want them to choose to be with Mary and I. I felt for Sammy, she knew she would be disappointing someone either way. I felt Mary's hand on my back before I felt the couch shift next to me with the little bit of weight that she added.

"She's leaving"

"What do you mean?"

"Sammy. They're taking her parents into protective custody and they offered her the option to go be with them. She's gonna go be with them"

"Oh David…I'm so sorry"

"She's finally starting to come around. She even asked Jack to being me in and tell me about it. The most heart-breaking part was when she asked me if I wanted her to stay"

"What did you say?"

"At first, I told her that it didn't matter, and that I couldn't tell her what I thought and have her base her decision on me and then hold it against me later"

"How did she take it?"

"She broke down and asked Jack to leave. Then, when it was just the two of us, she asked me again and said that she needed to know before she could make a decision. So, I was honest with her. But I also told her that I would want her with me if I was in her parents' shoes but that I wasn't going to let her go without a fight. That I wanted a relationship"

"Then you did everything you can"

"I'm gonna lose her Mar…" and that's when I broke down. I couldn't handle all of this. I allowed Mary to wrap me in her arms and I let the tears fall. I was heart-broken and there was nothing in my power that I could do to fix it. I just prayed that, by some chance, she would choose to stay.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Hello Everyone, here is another Chapter! I hope you guys like this. I hope that you all like the direction that I've gone with this as I really wasn't sure in the last chapter what direction I was going to take it but this just seemed to make the most sense. As always, detailed comments with your thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

I sat on my bed looking at all the Pro's and Con's of staying here or leaving to join my parents. Sadly, there were the same amount of reasons in both columns and all revolved around my relationship with David. Leaving would let me get away from all of this and put things back on my terms but would also damage all of the ground that we had made over the last week. Staying would force me to continue to dig through all these complicated emotions with no way of gaining back the control I so desperately desired. I finally broke down crying. How could Jack expect me to make this decision? Why couldn't he have just made the final call and dealt with my reaction from there? Sure, I would have been pissed at him if he had come to me and told me all of this and then didn't give me the choice to leave, but at least I wouldn't have to be the bad guy in this scenario. No matter what choice I make, someone is going to be hurt and it's all because of me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I let Mary hold me while I sobbed. I was so angry and hurt by all of this that I didn't even know how to begin to process all of the emotions I was feeling. I was angry that I was going to lose my daughter, angry at Jack for giving her the choice, and frankly, anger at her for not listening to everything we tried to tell her. If she had just listened to Jack and the other agents, her mom wouldn't have figure out what was going on and her parents never would have gotten taken into protective custody. Then again, what am I saying? If it were Emma or Neal, I would want them to tell me what was going on. I would knock down every door until I found my kids. It was just a horrible situation all the way around.

"Dad? What's wrong?" That was Neal. How could I tell him? He was really starting to like the idea of having another sister.

"Hey buddy. It's some adult things. You don't need to worry. I'm okay" I said ruffling his hair.

"No, you're not" Came Emma's voice. She always knew when someone was lying. Inherited that from me, I guess. No matter how much we tried to protect her, she could always tell when we were giving her partial truths. "Emma"

"No dad, what's going on?"

"Guys…Sammy is probably going to be moved to another safe house with her parents"

"But you're her parent" Neal, ever the literal one. "I know buddy, but remember how we said that Sammy has another Mommy and Daddy?"

"Yea"

"Well, they are in another safe house and Sammy misses them a whole lot and she is probably going to go and be with them"

"Then she'll come back with us?"

"No buddy, she would stay with them until it's time to go back to our home"

"Then she's going to come live with us?"

"Neal, she isn't really our family." Emma cut in.

"Emma…"

"Come on dad! She hasn't wanted to be a part of this family since she found out we existed and now she has a way out. She isn't going to want anything to do with us once she is out of here"

"Actually, I already talked to her and let her know that, no matter what happens, she is always going to be a part of this family and that we would reconnect once all of this is over" I honestly was a bit taken a back. I didn't think Emma would be this upset. If anything, I thought she would be elated to finally have Sammy leave. It has felt like the beginnings of world war 3 since they had been introduced back at the FBI headquarters. I never thought that Emma was at the point of actually being upset that Sammy was leaving.

"Come on dad! She doesn't want to be part of this family and we need to finally accept that and move on!"

"Em,"

"I'm going up to my room" and with that she stormed off.

"Mommy? Why doesn't Sammy like us?" I was glad that Mary could take this one.

"Oh baby, she does. But, if you were separated from me and daddy, you would want to be with us, right?"

"yea"

"Well Sammy has been separated from her mommy and daddy, so she is like you, she wants to be with them"

"I guess. But I think that she would like us more if she stayed" Such innocence made Mary and I both chuckle. "I know kid, I think so too which is why, when we get back home, we will all get together and do something fun, okay?"

"I like that!"

"Me too buddy"

"David" Jack, I wasn't sure if I was ready to have this conversation, but he motioned for me to follow him and I obliged. Putting it off wasn't going to delay the inevitable. I followed him into the room that all the male agents were staying in. I took a seat on one of the bottom bunk beds as Jack sat on the one opposite me.

"David, I know that this is not easy for you. If I'm being honest, I wish I didn't have to give her the choice…"

"Then why did you? Come on Jack, you and I both know that we want her to stay here and be under our watch. There are more agents here and she doesn't have anyone that will aid her in her crazy ideas of trying to escape. I don't know her parents, but we don't know if they wouldn't work together to escape custody and put themselves in danger because they don't understand the full spectrum of what is going on."

"That wouldn't happen"

"Really? Because I watched Sammy bolt across a tarmac and almost get away from you when she had a moment of freedom. What makes you think that she won't try again if she feels trapped?"

"Because we would brief the other agents on her antics and make sure that they don't let her out of their sight. I brought you in here to explain what our next steps are"

"Do I have a say in the next steps?"

"David, I know you're upset. Believe me, I would be just as upset if I was in your position. However, I have to do what is best from everyone in this house and for Sammy, that was giving her an out, even if it wasn't what you or I or the FBI want. Now, we have eyes on Gold and are just waiting for him to make his next move. Once we catch him in the act, we can lock him up and have you and your family back to your lives. I'm anticipating it taking a few weeks. After that, we should be able to go back to life as normal"

"Whatever normal is after protective custody"

"David, I know that things haven't been easy for any of you, but I think that you're going to be able to figure things out after all of this, no matter what she decides"

"You act like you don't know what she is going to choose"

"Because I don't. I know you're convinced that she is going to run, but I'm not so sure" and with that he left the room. What did he know that I didn't'?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I just kept going over and over the list for what felt like hours until I heard a soft knock on the door followed by Jack coming through the door.

"Hey Sammy, ready to make your choice?"

"I can't do this Jack"

"Sammy, you have to. If David or I make this choice for you or if you parents make this choice, you'll end up regretting all of us. This choice has to be yours."

"Jack this isn't fair"

"It's not about fair."

"Then what is it about?! Jack you and I both know that you didn't have to give me a choice. You already told my parents that my transfer wasn't an option so why tell me otherwise?!"

"Because I care about you okay?!" I didn't expect Jack to react so strongly. What did he even mean? "Sammy, I care about you more than I have cared about any other assignment. I don't know why, but I do. I couldn't let the opportunity pass you by, I couldn't make you stay no matter how much I want to"

"You care about me?"

"Yes Sammy. I look at you like my niece or a little sister. You've grown on me kid"

"Then why not force me to stay here? Why not just keep me in the dark and let me find all of this out after the fact?"

"Because I promised you that I'd be honest. I wasn't going to back down on that just because things got hard."

"I need you to make this choice. I can't have David or my parents hating me"

"None of them are going to hate you"

"Really? I'm sure my parents are going to think I hate them if I decide to stay here. They know that I know the truth about David, that they lied to me my whole life, and if I stay, they'll think that I am picking David over them. If I go, David and the Nolan's will think that all the progress we made was for nothing and that I'm basically slapping them in the face."

"Sammy, everyone in this equation understands how difficult this decision is. They all want you to choose what you feel is best for you right now."

"That's not me Jack. I don't do what's best for me. I always do what's best for everyone else"

"Well maybe it's time to change that"

"I don't know how"

"You have to figure it out. You have 20 hours and then I make the call"

"Just go ahead and make the call already!"

"I will, after you have the tie you need to think this through" and with that he left the room. I was so mad at him! I wanted him to blow up at me and tell me that I was staying and that that was that. I just wish that I could talk to my parents, I wish I could tell them how I was feeling. Maybe I can just ride out this timeline and then Jack will be forced to make the decision for me. I wasn't going to be able to do this no matter how much time he did or didn't give me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I made my way out of the room I was sharing with my parents and made my way to the kitchen when I heard a door slam open and watched my dad storm across the house and into the room I had just exited. I knew now was my change. I made my way over to the room where Sammy was and quietly opened the door and slid in before quickly closing it behind me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Sammy, you and I may not get along, but the fact of the matter is, we both want the same thing"

"We do?"

"Yes, we both want this to be over"

"Well my making a choice to stay or leave isn't going to make this situation resolve itself any faster"

"That's not the situation I was referring to"

"Emma…"

"Sammy, if you leave now, my dad is only going to obsess over this whole situation even more than he already is until he finally tracks you down when we get out of here and then you're going to be back at square one. Just stay here and we can figure this thing out now verses dragging it on for who knows how long after we all finally get to go home."

"And what about my parents?"

"What about them? They're the reason that you have to make this decision in the first place!"

"Would you feel that way if you had to choose between your parents and a stranger?" She had me there…I loved my parents. Then again, I don't believe that they would ever lie to me the way that Sammy's parents had. "I guess you're right…but do your parents even know that they are giving you this choice?"

Sammy was quite for a minute. I think I hit on something. If her parents didn't know that she had the choice to come join them, maybe it would keep her here. I don't know why I even want her here to be honest. Part of me wanted her gone so my family and I could go back to our life before all of this, the other half of me wanted to find out what this would look like with Sammy in the picture. We have made a lot of headway in the last week, that was all going to crap the minute she walked out that door. I owed it to my dad if nothing else to try and keep her here.

I knew that I screwed things up earlier snapping at my dad, but really, I was mad at Sammy for trying to leave, for messing up everything that we had worked for. I wasn't ready to tell her that though.

"You're right"

"What?"

"My parents…the FBI told them that they couldn't bring me to their safehouse for security reasons…it was Jack who gave me the option…"

"So you're off the hook! You can stay here and your parents will just assume that it was the fault of the FBI. Only you'll know that you could have chosen to go. They won't be mad at you and you can stay here and figure out things with my dad…and us"

"Thank you Emma"

"I did it for my dad…that's it" and with that I walked out. Too many feels were about to happen and we weren't there yet.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I watched Emma walk of the room and had to smirk. Maye we were actually coming around to like each other. She was right, my parents didn't know that I had this choice and they never had to. I always knew that I had to stay here and figure things out with David, but I couldn't get over the guilt that I would have where my parents were concerned, now I didn't have to. I got up and left the room and was slightly surprised to find Jack leaning against the door when I opened it "Ready to make your decision?"

"How did you…"

"I saw Emma walk in and figured that you would know what you wanted to do after that conversation" Ever the sarcastic one.

"I'm staying"

"Glad to hear it. I would recommend you go and tell David, I think you freaked him out"

"What do you mean?"

"He was convinced that you were going to run. I think it would mean a lot to him to have you tell him otherwise."

"Jack…how did you know what I was going to choose?"

"Call it gut instinct, I just knew that you had some unfinished business here."

"Whatever, where is David?"

"Over in the Nolan's room" he said with a nod of his head. I took a deep breath and made my way toward the door. I could hear him ranting to himself in the room and was a bit nervous to go in. What if he was angry at me? "Go ahead" Jack had followed me. I lightly knocked on the door before slowly opening it.

"Hey David" He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Samantha…I'm…how much of that did you hear?" He said moving his hand to the back of his neck.

"Not much…um…I wanted to let you know that, I've made my decision"

"Oh…"

"I'm staying" I think the man had a mini stroke. All the color drained form his face and his jaw dropped to the floor. Maybe he was as surprised by the decision as Jack had led on.

"I'm…I'm really surprised, IN A GOOD WAY!" He said putting his hands up like he was trying to stop the words from leaving his mouth. It kind a made me laugh a little. I understood what he meant. "I get it…Honestly, I'm a bit surprised myself but, Emma helped me see things a bit more clearly."

"Emma?"

"yea, she came and talked to me about everything and I realized that, my parents don't know that I have this choice so, they can't be mad at me for choosing to stay here, since they don't know."

"You know I wouldn't have been mad at you either way…"

"It doesn't matter. I'm staying and, that's that"

"Well, I'm really glad to hear that. Let's go tell the others" He came up and put an arm around my shoulder and led me out. I looked over my other shoulder to see Jack giving me a smug look. How did he know that I was going to stay here and if he did know, why didn't he just keep this all to himself instead of putting us all through this? I needed him on my side, not working two ends against the middle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She was staying…she was really staying. I honestly didn't see this coming. I was expecting to wake up tomorrow morning and find out that she had been smuggled away in the night without so much as a goodbye. I was over the mood about this but knew that I had to play it cool or else she was going to push me away again. We walked into the living room where Mary was watching Neal play with some Hotwheel's that he found in a closet.

"Hey Mar"

"Oh hi Sammy, I'm guessing his is goodbye" she said coming up to give me a hug. "Actually, I'm staying"

"You are?"

"yea…I just think that it is the best option right now"

"I'm glad you're staying. Hopefully we can get to know each other a little better now"

"Sure"

"You're not leaving us?!" I had to appreciate Neal. He was the only Nolan family member that I could trust to be 100 with me. "Yea Neal, I'm gonna stay here"

"But what about your other Mommy and Daddy?"

"I'll see them again when all of this is over, and we get to go home"

"You mean, you're not going to come home with us?"

"Well I have my own home that I have to get back to. But we'll still see each other, okay?" What did I just promise? I happen to glance up and see David standing over us and his face was lit up like a Christmas tree. I guess I had solidified the fact that I was going to have to see them after all of this was figured out. Maybe a part inside of me wanted a reason to see them again. "That's good! I think mommy and daddy would have been really sad if you went away to be with your other mommy and daddy"

"We sure would of buddy" David chimed in ruffling his son's hair.

"I think it's time for some dinner" Jack said braking up the awkward silence that had settled in after that. I was super thankful for the diversion and made a b-line for the kitchen.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Hello Everyone! Thank you so much for your kind comments. I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I hope you like this. There is a great conversation between both Sammy and Jack and Sammy and David that I think you will really enjoy! As always, please let me know what you think as well as anything you would like to see.**

* * *

I made a b-line for the kitchen and grabbed a plate of food before sitting at the kitchen island. I knew that David and Mary would want us all to sit at the table, but I wasn't ready to have a sit-down family dinner just yet. My staying wasn't my acceptance of this situation, or of my unfortunate position in this family. Sure enough, the rest of the Nolan's followed in quick secession and Mary guided Emma and Neal to the table. I then felt a strong hand on my back.

"Why don't you come sit with us? You'll be more comfortable at the table" I didn't feel like I could really say no. However, I really didn't want to go over there. "I'm good, thanks though" I didn't look at his face, but I could feel by the way he patted my back when he walked away that he was disappointed. I just needed some time. David went and sat down next to Mary who leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. They really were the picture of the American dream, minus the protective custody phase. I just felt so out of place when it came to my interactions with them. I wanted to accept that I had some sort of place at that table, but I wasn't sure I was ready for that.

I mindlessly went to get another spoonful of Chili when my spoon hit the counter. I looked down where my bowl was supposed to be and then looked up to see that Jack and pulled it just out of reach. He gave me a cocky smile and then slid it back. "Ground control to Major Sammy".

"Ha Ha. You're so funny" I then took a heaping spoonful of my Chili and shoved it into my mouth while glaring at him.

"Where's your head at?"

"I'm right here" I got out through my mouth full of chili.

"Now, but where were you a few seconds ago?"

"Jack…" He just gave me a look that said he wasn't buying my BS "I don't know what they want from me okay?" I whispered. I knew that David was probably going to try, and eves drop on our conversation and I wasn't ready for another heart to heart in the kitchen. "I look at them and, outside of this whole situation, they are the American dream, I don't know where I fit into that equation."

"I think you fit wherever you want to fit. You just need to be you, the rest of it will fall in place"

"You say that like it's natural to have a long-lost kid or sibling fall out of the sky"

"It's more common than you think"

"But those families aren't forced into a hostage situation where they can't pull away and reevaluate the situation from time to time."

"That's fair, but I really think you guys have made a lot of progress. It's time to allow that to create momentum, and push you forward instead of acting like you aren't bonding with them" There was that smug smile again.

"Whatever, just let me eat my Chili in peace"

"Whatever you say" I really was getting annoyed with Jack always being able to see past my inner thoughts and feelings. I wasn't used to that, I was normally able to keep people at arm's length, Jack didn't give me that opportunity. I went back to my Chili and finished up the last two bites before putting my bowl in the sink and making my way to my room. I needed to decompress for a little bit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We walked into the Kitchen and she had already made a point to separate herself from the rest of us. Mary guided Neal and Emma over once they grabbed their bowls and I made my way over to Sammy.

"Why don't you come sit with us? You'll be more comfortable at the table" I figured taking a light hearted and logical approach might work better. She seemed to debate it, but eventually she turned me down. I was feeling so lousy as a parent, I just wanted her to know she was wanted. I gently patted her back and made my way over to the table where Mary greeted me with a kiss on the cheek.

I kept stealing glances back at Sammy, she looked so lost as she mindlessly took small bites of her Chili and stared off into space. Eventually Jack made his way over to Sammy and blocked my view. I could tell they were talking about something, but they kept their voices low so I couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Hey, take a break their papa bear"

"Mar, I…"

"I know. But right now, she needs her space"

"That's all we've been giving her, space. How long before the space between us becomes permanent?"

"It won't, but we also can't force her to be a part of this family. We can only take small steps to get to know her, and help her to trust us"

"I actually agree with dad, I say we address it, that's how I got her to stay" Emma immediately realized what she said and started turning red. She then started stuffing her face as fast as she could.

"What do you mean that's how you got her to stay?" My daughter was a horrible liar to start, and now she had all but given us her entire secret up front.

"hmm?" She was trying to use her full mouth as an excuse before trying to get up from the table. Thankfully agent Miles stepped in and put his hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to sit back down.

"Emma, you need to tell me right now exactly what you mean" I could see the wheels rolling in her head as she took her time to chew and swallow before finally starting to talk.

"I mean…I just talked to her and she decided to stay. I don't think leaving her alone is going to get you anywhere"

"When did you talk to her? And what exactly did you say?"

"She helped Sammy realize that her parents didn't know she had a choice and therefore had no reason to be mad at her" Jack added coming over and pulling up a chair. "And it did work. However, I think everyone needs a good night's sleep before we have any more of those types of conversations"

"Thanks Jack. Emma, we will talk more about this later" I said giving her a look. She wasn't going to get off that easy. We all finished our dinner without much more banter between us and then headed to our room. Jack was right, we all needed some sleep.

Once we were all laying in our beds, I could tell that Mary and the kids were sound asleep. I just kept thinking about what Jack had said. Sammy didn't stay for us, she only stayed because it was the only option that didn't cause her to be at odds with anyone. She is always putting herself before everyone else. She really didn't want to stay, she just didn't want me to be mad. It's my fault. I didn't want her to leave, sure, but for her to think I'd be mad, I don't. I feel like maybe I made the wrong choice. Maybe I should of told her to go. I thought if she stayed, I'd be happy, because it meant she wanted to get to know me, now, I feel like I'm the worst kind of parent.

I felt Mary shift in her sleep next to me and realized I should probably let my mind rest for now and get some sleep myself. I rolled over and put my arm around Mary. I could readdress this in the morning with a clear head, hopefully.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I laid in bed as my thoughts raced through my mind. What did I just do? I was in no way ready to delve head first into this whole "family" thing. I was completely sending the wrong message, wasn't I? I don't want to be a part of their family…do I? Do I even know why I did what I did? Any sane person would have taken the chance I was given and run with it. They would have left the horribly uncomfortable situation of the insta-family and gone back to the safety of the family that they have always known and left this whole situation behind them. I, on the other hand, did the exact opposite. I actually chose to stay in the crazy nut house with the strangers and am subjecting myself to this whole insane situation…

I didn't even realize that I had fallen asleep until I woke up tossing and turning. Obviously, it wasn't a deep sleep. I looked over at my small alarm clock that I was allowed to have and saw that it was 3am. I knew I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, so I decided to go down to the kitchen and get something hot to drink. One of the night agents followed me down to the kitchen and I noticed that there was already another agent hanging around by the entrance. I guess they don't really have anything better to do while we all slept. What I wasn't expecting was to see David sitting there.

"Oh, hey"

"Hey…I…I can leave…" I couldn't make him do that.

"No…you can stay, I just wanted to get something to drink"

"I can get you something"

"No" I interrupted, "I can do it." I then moved over to the coffee maker. They had supplied us with a Keurig, so I grabbed one of the hot chocolate pods and let the machine do its thing. I took the cup and held it in my hands and just stared at the machine, debating if I should turn around and engage in conversation. It was 3am, you never know if you're making the best life choices at this point in the morning. I decided I didn't want to have to bring the mug back down once I finished my cocoa and grabbed the stool at the end of the island, so one stool was between David and me.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a while. I wasn't personally wanting to address the situation, but I also didn't feel like I could leave him like this. He was obviously distraught. I felt like I owed him something, I just didn't know what.

"Sammy, why did you really stay?" Well I wasn't expecting that.

"What?"

"Why? Why did you stay?"

What was I supposed to say? I wasn't even sure why I stayed. Would he accept that answer or would he keep pushing?

"Sammy. Why did you choose to stay here when you obviously don't want to be around us?"

"That's not it"

"Then what is it? I've tried everything. I gave you space, I told you that I would understand if you went to be with your parents, I told you how much I wanted to get to know you, but none of it seems to change anything. Every time I feel like we take a step forward, we take 15 steps back."

"I know"

"Then what am I not doing?"

"It's not you David"

"Then what is it Sammy?"

"I just need time"

"I get that, I know that this is all a lot, but if you needed time, then why didn't you leave?"

"I don't know"

"I think you do"

"I really don't David"

"You do. Everyone in this house knew, you didn't want to be here with us, I ever understood that. I figured that, you might need some time away and that you probably needed to discuss with you parents why they kept this secret from you and figured out your feelings with them before you came to terms with us. But you didn't do that Sammy, you stayed. Why?"

He had a point. I had the perfect opportunity to leave, to take time to deal with my parents and my own feelings, but I didn't take them up on that offer. I didn't take time for myself. I decided that it was better to face the music head on than to try and run from it. It was the exact opposite of what I thought I was.

"David…"

"Sammy, I'm your father. I know you aren't comfortable with that and I know that you have a Dad that raised you. I don't plan on taking his place. However, I do want to have some place in your life and I want you to be a part of our family."

"I know that…and I don't know where I fit into that. You and Mary and your kids are the picture of the American dream. I'm just your illegitimate kid that you gave up for adoption. I don't have a place in your family"

"That's not true Sammy. I hate that you think that. I also don't know where you got the impression that we were this perfect family. You already know that I screw things up pretty bad with Emma because I couldn't move past losing you. I never wanted to give you up, I wanted to keep you. However, I knew that I couldn't provide the kind of life you deserved, so it didn't matter what I wanted. The only thing that mattered, was you." He had placed his hand on my cheek and was looking into my eyes. I felt so vulnerable yet, I also knew that he meant every word he was saying. I didn't know what to say. I just kept staring at him. I then felt his thumb brush against my cheek as he wiped away a stray tear. I didn't even know I was crying.

"I'm sorry" He moved his hand from my cheek and pulled me into him and cradled my head in his hand. I immediately fell apart. I was so broken, and confused, and lost, but his strong hold on me seemed to ground me somehow and make me think that things could possibly work out. I hadn't felt this way in such a long time.

We stayed that way for what seemed like forever, and David didn't say a word, he simply let me cry. Eventually my sobs subsided, and my breathing regulated its self as I calmed down. I didn't want David to let me go, for the first time since this whole thing started, I felt safe. I felt David shift a little bit as he was looking to see if I was still awake. When we made eye contact, he held me out just far enough away that we could see each other. "I love you, Samantha"

"I know"

"I love you"

"You said that"

"But I need you to hear it. I am not a perfect parent, not to Emma, not to Neal, and definitely not to you. Mary and I do our best with Emma and Neal, but we make mistakes on a regular basis. All I ask, all _we_ ask, is that you give us a chance to be your family."

"I don't know if I'll be any good at it"

"All I ask is that you give it a chance, let us in"

"I'm not good at that, letting people in."

"I promise you Sammy, I will always do everything I can, to honor your trust, if you'll give it to me. I know I'll make mistakes, but I desperately want to be the best father that I can be to you."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're my daughter, and I love you"

"Thank you, David"

"Always" He then pulled me close again, I let him comfort me. After a minute or two he pulled me away again so we could make eye contact.

"Sammy, you never answered my question, why did you stay?" This time he asked the question a bit differently. The first time felt confrontational, this time, it genuinely felt like he wanted to know."

"Honestly, Emma"

"She mentioned something about you and her having a conversation."

"Yea" I started rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. "She helped me realize that, my parents were never told I had a choice to leave here and be with them. If I stayed, my parents wouldn't be hurt, and you wouldn't be hurt by me leaving. Everyone's happy."

"You didn't mention if you were happy"

"The choice wasn't about me"

"Samantha, this whole situation is about you. Jack wanted to make sure that you were okay, that you had the choice to do what was best for you, not what was best for everyone else"

"That's not how I operate"

"Well from this point forward, I want you to do what make you happy. I will never be mad at you, for doing what's best for you. My job as you parent, is to take care of you, not the opposite way around"

"I'll try"

"If you want, I'll talk to Jack. It hasn't been 24 hours, you could still leave"

"No, I want to stay"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure"

"Okay, if you ever start to feel like this is overwhelming, I want you to know I'm here, and I will do everything in my power to shield you from as much or as little as you feel you can handle"

"I'm an adult, I don't have that luxury"

"While you're here, you get to go back to being a kid. Who else gets that opportunity to go back to being carefree?" he said with a chuckle.

"I guess" I wasn't sure if I was necessarily ready to let him take care of me to that extent, but the idea didn't sound so bad.

"Well, I'm going to head back to bed, you should do the same"

"Yea, I guess so" David then took my cup and put it in the sink. The cocoa had long since gone cold and I wasn't planning on finishing it away. He then put his arm around my shoulders and led me over to my room before leaning over and giving me a kiss on the top of the head and heading off to his own room.


End file.
